Warden Commander Alistair Theirin
by alyssacousland
Summary: Alistair is Warden Commander. This story is Post-Awakening, but the darkspawn are still a threat. Alistair is alone...will he find love along the way? Alistair centric/human Orlesian commander/Dalish elf & others. Rated M for obvious reasons
1. Alistair's Second Journal

**Hello all! *waves* **

**I had this idea of writing a fic after Awakening had taken place, with Alistair as the Warden Commander, and very much alone at the beginning. He hasn't fallen in love yet and he still is the blushing Chantry boy we all know and love. Will he meet someone special along the way? Maybe! LOL! But the real challenge here is that the story will be mainly from his PoV and we will get a glimpse of his inner feelings throughout the journey while reading his journal entries also! **

**Anyway, I finally remembered my disclaimer _before_ I begin this fic, so here it is:**

**Bioware owns everything, I own nothing, but I sure would like to 'own' a couple of their characters! **

Chapter 1 - Alistair's Second Journal

_Dragon Age 9:32_

_It's been nearly two years since the Blight ended, and I can't believe I'm doing this today. I'm starting a second journal! The fact that I've never shared an affinity with books might be one of the reasons behind my surprise at writing a journal again. That, and my thirst for blood (evil smile here) and my willingness to spar and be forever in the front lines in battle may also have something to do with this. I can almost hear my good friend's voice, Duran, (and Hero of Ferelden) screaming at me from wherever he is now. (Somewhere in Orzammar?) _

_**"You've gotten serious! Your Templar has finally caught up with you and we'll never see the end of it now."**_

_I smile as I write this and think back at the time when we were still trying to stop the Blight and all the madness that it entailed. _

_Now, almost two years later- er, I did just write that, but as everyone knows I have a tendency to babble (not that anyone would ever read this- I do have very bad handwriting) a letter is brought to my attention bearing the seal of the Wardens of Orlais. _

_When I open and read it my eyes widen with surprise, and I stroke the stubble on my chin thoughtfully as I ponder on the implications._

_(Well, I never stroke the stubble on my chin, I just thought it looked good in writing.)_

_How is it possible that there are __**still**__ darkspawn attacks in Orlais? I had dealt with the threat, or so I thought..._

_The Mother had been killed by my companions and myself not four months ago, and the Architect had been dispatched two months later as it had died when I sliced it using my trusty Starfang, a gift from Duran himself. _

_Darkspawn in Orlais. What could they possibly accomplish by showing themselves now? I knew it was too soon for another Blight to begin. _

_Another thought crosses my mind and well...maybe I should have let him live, agreeing to his offer, and ensuring peace to all of Thedas?_

_His offer had been tempting to say the least. He had offered to make all the darkspawn retreat back into the Deep Roads, the agreement included using my blood to put a stop to the darkspawn invasion in Thedas, thus ending the threat of another Blight in the future years to come. _

_I write his words here as I remember them, and frown as I do so._

_"__Is it not the way of the Grey Wardens to do what must be done, in the name of combating the __Blight__? The Blight is a menace, both for your people and for mine. To end it requires sacrifice and risk."_

_So, maybe I did screw up. It would not be a first. _

_This is exactly why I had begged Duran not to make me king at the Landsmeet. I hate leading and making decisions. Well, my decisions do seem to turn out well now that I am Warden Commander though and-_

Duran wasn't here, however. He'd left for Orzammar to talk to his brother, Bhelen, right after they had successfully driven the darkspawn back, saving the city and the keep from the attacks.

A knock on the door interrupted Alistair, so he put the quill down and stood up automatically to answer it.

He was wearing his Warden Commander armor, the same one that Duran Aeducan had given him after they had successfully cleared out Soldier's Peak and killed the demon inside the rotting corpse of Sophia Dryden.

Flinging open the door, he stood there for a moment, blinking at his late visitor.

"Alistair, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Oghren is at it again," Anders drawled at him indifferently, his eyes twinkling which betrayed the way he actually felt about the whole thing.

"Maker's breath!" He swore, and shut the door as he followed Anders out into the courtyard while muttering under his breath but loud enough so that Anders could hear. "If you had anything to do with this, Anders, I swear-"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Anders protested in mock hurt tones as they walked through the throne room and up to the large main doors that led to the courtyard.

As soon as they arrived, they stopped in their tracks, staring at the scene that unfolded before them.

Oghren was in the middle of the courtyard, swinging his axe at..._**nothing**_ and bellowing at the top of his voice.

"You evil nughumper, by the tits of my Ancestors! Gonna tear you a new one, I am!" He screamed over and over, his face even redder than his flaming red hair.

Anders and Alistair glanced at each other for a few minutes.

"Can't you use a spell of yours to calm him down or something?" Alistair asked nervously eyeing Oghren's battleaxe warily.

"He's a dwarf, Commander," Anders retorted.

"Oh. Right." Alistair wet his lips as he pondered what to do.

"You're the Warden Commander. I'm just here for moral support anyway," Anders smirked.

"Coward," Alistair muttered.

It suddenly occurred to him that Oghren was swinging with a pattern. Yes. There definitely was a pattern to his swings. Back and forth. Pause. Back and forth. Pause.

He stepped carefully into his line of vision, but Oghren did not even see him or register that there was anybody there at all. In his ale-ridden mind, he was battling someone, and he wanted to slice the enemy into two neat pieces.

Velanna walked into view at that moment. Alistair faltered and took a step back. As much as he thought she was a beautiful woman, he knew she had a terrible temper and she would probably either laugh at Oghren or react the way she always reacted, and he did not want to be her punching bag, as he had been Morrigan's before her.

Velanna, however, studied the whole scene with a sly smile on her face. She even smirked a bit and a chuckle escaped her lips.

"Oghren!" She called out in a nearly sweet voice- well, sweet for _her_ anyway. "It's Velanna! Didn't you want to talk to me earlier?"

Oghren stopped swinging as he regarded her blearily through bloodshot eyes.

"Eh? Is that you, Felsi?"

Alistair bit back a laugh as Velanna rolled her eyes.

Oghren then backed away, his axe sliding to the ground immediately. "I didn't mean anything, Felsi, nope! Won't drink again, not even if the little pike twirler asks me to!"

Anders sniggered behind Alistair. The Commander's ears had turned a flaming red.

"Oghren," he said, stepping right in front of him, while he flashed a smile at Velanna, who nodded at him, a smile on her lips. "Oghren, it's all right. Nobody is going to tell Felsi anything.

The dwarf swayed precariously on his feet, then without warning vomited all over Alistair's boots and fell to the ground unconscious.

Anders and Velanna cackled evilly and left the Commander standing there, disgust and dismay written plainly across his face.

He could tell he was going to have a bad time cleaning up his boots tonight.

...

He gathered all his men the next afternoon, and gave them a speech on the course of action to take regarding the situation in Orlais. He had received two more missives that morning so he put together a group of six, and appointed Nathaniel as the commander until his return to the keep.

The people who he was taking all went to their rooms to ready themselves for the journey, calling it an early night to get more rest, except for Anders who stayed behind.

"Commander, I just wanted to ask if you are absolutely sure about taking me and Velanna along? I mean, we are both mages and we really don't get along."

"I'm sure," Alistair answered as he walked to his rooms briskly, Anders close behind him. "There are plenty of warden mages left here at the keep, and I'm going to need the two of you to battle the darkspawn. Your healing abilities simply surpass anyone else's and Velanna's offensive spells are going to be necessary." Having reached the door he paused, looking at Anders while he wondered if he was going to continue the conversation or not. He really wanted to get into his room, take a bath and get all his things ready. They would be leaving the next day at the crack of dawn.

"Ah, I see." Anders paused for a moment then smirked. "And your- ah, _attraction_ towards Velanna, has nothing to do with it, does it?"

Alistair blushed, much to his dismay.

"My...attraction? No!" He shook his head vigorously. "No, it doesn't. Why would it? I mean she is an extremely attractive woman, but, no! I'm scared of her mostly. She reminds me too much of a witch I traveled with during the Blight. She was...an...evil woman." He stammered out. Then he added as an afterthought. "You're free to romance her. Not my type definitely." Anders blushed and Alistair grinned. It was extremely difficult to get Anders to blush.

He nodded a good night to him and pat himself on the back for the way the conversation had ended. Stepping into his room, he softly, but very firmly shut his door on Anders's face.

"Well, good night to you too, Commander!" Anders's muffled voice came through the door.

Alistair stifled a chuckle and head to the warm bath that waited for him in the corner of the room. He stripped himself of the armor and flexed his muscles stretching. His bare body revealed scars from his encounters throughout the Blight and his hair, once short was now a lot longer, and he kept two side braids fastened on the back to keep it off his face, much like Nathaniel Howe did. He unfastened the twin braids now, for he wanted to wash his hair as well, and stepped into the tub.

Even though his companions teased him mercilessly, they greatly admired him and followed his orders without question. There were now forty-eight Grey Wardens in the compound, all of them had been chosen by him and all of them had proved themselves many times over in all the mess they had straightened out during the siege of Amaranthine and the attack on the Keep. Truthfully, even though Alistair hated to lead, he found himself very comfortable in his current role and found it easy to command his wardens.

He nearly fell asleep in the tub, which was his cue to get out of it, and dry himself, stumbling wearily to bed where he fell asleep, face down, and completely naked.

...

The next day dawned beautifully, and Alistair rushed through his things putting together his pack quickly and efficiently. He took the Joining Cup they had found when they had returned to Ostagar, leaving the other one with Nathaniel just in case, and some empty vials as well as a few drops of spare archdemon blood. He did it more out of a sense of practicality than anything else. He wanted to be sure that, given the circumstances, he could perform an emergency Joining if the need ever arose. He knew that Anders was skilled at preparing the concoction also, which is another reason that he was taking him along. They did need more wardens anyway, and it never felt bad to be two steps ahead.

He wore his dragon bone armor, and left his Warden Commander armor at the keep, reflecting that he felt more comfortable with the one he had on now, so he would be fighting more easily should they have the need to fight along the way, which he was sure they would.

His companions were waiting for him in the throne room. He discussed a few things with Nathaniel, who grinned and agreed to what he said, and shook hands with Varel before he left, the rest following him out of Vigil's Keep.

They head west, staying on the North Road for as long as they could, and cutting through forests and wading through creeks and streams when they couldn't. At the end of the day, they camped and Alistair cooked, and everyone ate his stew but only because they were hungry. In truth, they didn't like his cooking and he didn't blame them, but they had to eat and nobody had offered to cook during their journey.

So they finished the bland stew their first night at camp, and Alistair took out his map and spent some time looking at it. He figured they could follow the road, but from there they would have to either cut through the Heartlands or continue along the Imperial Highway which went around Lake Celestine directly to Val Royeaux and which would take longer as well. He didn't have to think long to arrive to a conclusion. Some of the reports said they had spotted darkspawn around Montsimmard, so that is where they had to go, even though it meant adding several days to their journey.

He folded his map neatly and placed it into his pack, and for a moment considered taking out his journal and writing, but then his eyes looked upwards and he found himself looking up at the stars and breathing in the fresh woodland air so he decided against it for the time being.

The whole thing filled him with an inner peace and he took it immediately and savored it. Who knew when they would again have such a perfect night on this trip? He felt almost perfectly happy for the first time in months, and leaned back on his elbows, while the rest chatted away amicably around the fire. There was only one thing missing from his life, in truth, and he didn't want to dwell on that. Not tonight.

He shrugged off the loneliness that lay deep in his heart, the feeling of not being completely whole, and stood up, wiping the dust from his armor, sitting beside the rest of his companions, listening to their jokes and easy bantering, smiling at times and at others laughing out loud, until they all decided to call it a night. He had Oghren and Fernan stay up for first watch and head into his tent after wishing them all a good night.

Alistair Theirin then got his bed roll out and lay on it, listening to the crickets outside and ignored the feeling of loneliness that had swept up over him yet again, before turning to his side and falling into a deep, refreshing sleep.

**A/N: There will be a lot more bantering in the coming chapters. And things will get interesting for our ex-Templar as well as for the rest...stay tuned! ;) **


	2. And Your Point Is?

**My deepest thanks to Warrose and Jinx1983 for their brilliant reviews! :D I also want to thank those that have this story on their favorites (already! wow!) and those who signed up for alerts. You all rock! :D**

**Let's follow our party now as they make their way further west towards the direction of the Frostback Mountains. **

**Bioware owns, of course. ;) **

Chapter 2 - And Your Point Is?

_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly_  
_I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky_  
_And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change_  
_And breakaway_  
_Out of the darkness and into the sun_  
_But I won't forget all the ones that I love_  
_I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change_  
_And breakaway_

_Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson_

_._

_._

Alistair ordered everyone to stop as he gazed further along the road, furrowing his brow. He thought he'd heard something so he continued to look ahead, his eyes narrowing.

Behind him, Anders drawled at Velanna.

"You know we _are_ both mages, I _insist_ we get together to _improve_ our spells."

Velanna made a derisive sound, and Alistair smiled to himself. The day she let Anders so much as touch her would be the day he left for the Deep Roads, as _that_ wasn't going to happen anytime soon either. He wondered if she even liked men at all. Well, to be fair, she _had _flirted with the only other elf that was a warden back at the keep.

"The only improvement you'll be making is in the Beyond, for if you so much as touch me, that will be where you are heading, human." She bit back the words, her tone icy and bitter.

"Ouch," Anders said mournfully.

"Just be quiet you two!" Alistair shot in warning, raising his hand. "I thought I heard something up ahead."

There is was again, a faint rustling in the bushes a little way ahead, to the right. Velanna stepped in front of Alistair and his gaze fell on her rounded behind, without even planning to do so. He blushed and averted his eyes.

"I hear, Commander. I can shapeshift into a bird and fly up ahead to scout the area."

He nodded at her, and the whole party waited on edge as she became a yellow wagtail and left.

"You'd think she'd change into a more ominous bird," Anders mused.

Velanna returned. "Bandits," she told Alistair as soon as she changed back. "Four of them, one of them wields a bow. The leader is a rogue. Other than that, the three that travel with them look green."

"How further up are they?" He asked quickly.

"A little further up the way, not much. The one with the bow is doing the rustling. He's heading this way."

"Right. Fernan?" Alistair turned to his rogue, and the young warden stood straight - Alistair smiled at this- and waited for his order. "Sneak." The young man grinned and disappeared from view.

There was a strangled noise from the bushes, and Alistair grinned.

"Teslin and Marcus, watch our backs." They nodded. "Oghren try not to pass out. You're coming with me." Oghren growled, his axe at the ready. "Anders and Velanna, you two are with me also." They smiled and fell into place behind him.

He saw them before they had taken ten more steps from where they had been standing. As they approached, Alistair felt a breeze on his right side, and a disembodied voice whispered a warning.

"Careful, Commander. Fire trap ahead. I'll disable it."

"Thanks, Fernan," he smiled, and motioned at the others to stop. They heard a familiar _click _and resumed their walk; they were fast approaching the bandits now, who looked taken aback at the fact that their fire trap had failed to work. One of them looked like he would throw up. Alistair made a mental note of this, he didn't want to spend three hours cleaning his boots that night.

"Ho, there! Are you lost?"

_The leader, no doubt._ _He certainly looks cockier than the rest._

"No, not at all," Alistair answered, grinning like a mad man.

"Well, it's just too bad you ran into us, then!" The leader retorted, obviously thinking he could beat up a warrior and a weak looking guy wearing a dress. His eyes briefly rested on Velanna and he made a mental note to save her from death. She was gorgeous.

Velanna caught the look and bristled and Anders noticed this and chuckled softly.

Then the leader did something incredibly stupid, probably thinking to catch them off guard. He lunged at Alistair.

Oghren bellowed behind him, his beserker nature taking the best of him, while Velanna pointed a cone of cold directly at the three bandits.

It was an extremely short battle that ended in victory for them. Alistair didn't even break into a sweat.

"Time to loot!" He said cheerfully. Teslin, Marcus and Fernan complied and soon they were ten sovereigns richer.

"Nothing like some bandits to put a spring into one's step, eh Commander?" Anders gave a wistful sigh.

...

They camped close to a small village, and decided to check it out. They needed some supplies and welcomed the thought of eating a decent meal for a change.

"Wonder if there is a brothel here?" Anders asked thoughtfully.

Teslin burst out laughing. "Why, Anders! Didn't think you'd actually be interested in that? Don't you go around telling everyone how the ladies love you? You're not actually thinking of _paying_ for that kind of entertainment, now, are you?"

"Nah, I get by just fine! I was thinking that maybe our Commander here would like to...um..."

"Buck the forbidden horse?" Oghren said cheerfully behind them.

They all burst out laughing and Alistair blushed deeply.

"Really, I have no need for...for...that." He stammered.

"Ah, but all men have needs," Anders shot back.

"I'm not even going to listen to this stupid conversation," Velanna's angry comment was heard above the laughter. "I'm walking ahead, and will probably arrive before you fools do." She changed into the yellow wagtail again and flew off.

"Just lay off, all of you," Alistair muttered, his neck now turning red as well. "Truly, I don't understand what the point of all this is here..."

"The point is that you are still a virgin!" Anders exclaimed while looking at him in total and utter surprise. "We don't understand how a grown man who is...how old are you again?"

"Twenty-three." He replied, keeping his eyes on the road ahead and walking a little faster.

"Right, twenty-three, can still remain a virgin? Do any of you here-"

"Shut it, Anders," Alistair practically growled at him.

"As you wish, Commander," Anders grinned. "Oh, look! Villagers!"

The villagers had curiously piled around the only road that ran through the dismal little town, which consisted of an inn and a few scattered homes here and there. There wasn't even a Chantry.

A woman suddenly called out, her voice cracked and old.

"You, strangers. We don't like strangers. Begone, you!"

"And friendly too! Now that's a plus!" Anders quipped.

They made their way to the inn, which had the name "The Crow Inn" on a dilapidated board on top of the door.

The innkeeper was struck dumb for three minutes. He didn't understand how there could be seven strangers in front of him. Apparently he wasn't used to anyone coming into his inn at all.

"Um," he managed to say while he blinked at them.

"Hello! I was wondering if we could have a nice meal here before we went on our way?" Alistair asked kindly.

The man blinked again, then the whole sentence seemed to finally make sense to him.

"Oh! Yes. Please, sit down, I'll tell my wife to prepare some food for you." He motioned to the only table and four chairs in the room.

"Er..." Alistair said, as he looked at the chairs. "There are seven of us."

"Oh! Certainly. Let me just get some extra chairs for you." The man sprang to life and hurried about.

"Are we going to sit on _those_?" Velanna nodded to the dust-encrusted chairs with disgust.

"I can clean them off for you," Anders said immediately.

"Ugh! Get away from me you pathetic human!" She held out her staff, and Anders backed away, smiling nervously.

"I thought you already knew she's a bitch?" Alistair leaned over to Anders and whispered. And Velanna changed into a black cat and hissed before running off.

Anders sighed in mock despair. "She is so beautiful. You can't blame me for trying. Oh well," he shrugged as they sat on the chairs and waited to eat the first meal that hadn't been cooked by Alistair in the seven days they had been travelling.

...

The inn ran out of food. Six Grey Wardens, all men, proved too much for them to handle. They bought their last wheel of cheese at Alistair's insistence and walked off and out of the village.

They arrived at camp, where Velanna was purring at herself, licking her paws. She had obviously had a nice meal of mice and birds. She changed back into herself, and walked away to her tent, without even a greeting to the rest, which, truth be told did not bother them at all.

Alistair flung himself near the fire and took out his journal.

_We arrived at a village today after we took care of some bandits. We made some coin looting their bodies, so now we own more ingredients for me to cook something else tomorrow. Ha ha. _

_I'm getting the distinct impression that all the darkspawn in Ferelden are now in Orlais. We haven't seen any so far, and we're a very short distance from the Frostback Mountains as it is. _

_I hope that Anders stops trying to get on Velanna's good side. She doesn't have one. Hmm, maybe her arse though. _

_Did I just write that? Crossing it out now! No. Why should I? Nobody is going to read this anyway, right? _

Then, underneath that:

_Total earnings today: 10 sovereigns_

_Total money spent on food: 1 sovereign_

_Total money spent on supplies: 30 silver_

He sighed and closed his journal. He was a bit tired, so he bid everyone goodnight and headed for his bedroll, dropping the journal into his pack before he took off his armor.

He fell asleep immediately and didn't even realize that he hadn't told anyone to watch over the camp that night. Teslin and Oghren both shrugged at this and continued drinking. The rest just went into their tents. Nobody stayed awake to stand watch.

That would prove to be a problem for all of them soon enough.

**A/N: Next chapter, the Warden Commander of Orlais makes an appearance, lol. **


	3. The Darkspawn Threat

**Thanks to Warrose, Khaotic Kal, and Jinx1983 for their reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them! :)**

**Short, but necessary chapter to the plot. **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 3 - The Darkspawn Threat

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight, the moment to fight_

_To fight, to fight, to fight_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the earth_

_It's a brave new world from the last to the first_

_30 seconds to mars - This is war._

_._

_._

_._

Alistair was having a nightmare.

It wasn't the regular kind of nightmare- no. Not the one he had about the archdemon leering at him before it took him in its jaws and crushed him- though it was about darkspawn. The evil things were at the keep, killing all his Ferelden wardens. He growled and lunged at them feeling their distinct hum running through his blood. His hatred of them was fueling him to cut them down, fearless and unstoppable.

A Hurlock sneered at him, swinging an axe directly at his stomach and as Alistair felt his life's blood seeping out of the wound, his eyes opened and he found himself sweating on his bedroll, wide awake. He was on his feet immediately.

The humming was louder now that he was awake.

He ran outside and saw them. One of them had attacked the sleeping form of Teslin and had plunged a dagger into his heart then decapitated him instantly. It was doing something else to the body, but Alistair was already upon it, letting out his battle cry and alerting the others, who joined the fray immediately.

The darkspawn looked up at Alistair, realizing a moment too late that he was going to slice its head off. It held something in its hands, which was ejected forcibly from its hand the moment Alistair attacked, a shiny object that hit the ground and shattered.

There were twenty darkspawn and only six of them, but once Velanna had joined the fighting, their odds of winning grew and they hacked away only to find out after some time that they indeed had won the battle.

They also discovered how the darkspawn had arrived at their camp, when they found a large gaping hole a few feet away from Teslin's head. They stared at the hole for a few moments, but Alistair was already gone when they turned to him seeking guidance on what to do next.

They found him kneeling before the dead body of his warden. Alistair had his head bowed and was feeling damned, his guilt made it hard for him to breathe.

It was his fault that Teslin was dead, his fault for not remembering to set up teams to watch over the camp, for letting exhaustion overtake him, and not reisisting the urge to sleep.

He shed a few quiet tears for him, then they gathered some wood for a pyre and held a solemn funeral.

When it was over, the Warden Commander turned to them, his eyes steely and dark.

"Now we descend into the hole, and kill them all," he said, his voice hard and cold.

...

The darkness around them was disturbed by fires burning here and there along the wide and deep tunnel that steadily stretched onward into the darkness.

They advanced slowly and warily, for they could feel there were more darkspawn there, hiding among the shadows and deep crevices in the walls.

They were attacked once and then a second time further along the tunnel and they fought back bravely, killing more of the creatures, grimly advancing forward.

They had been walking for some time- their eyes were already used to the lack of light- when they spotted a very large campfire straight ahead. There was a group of about thirty of the creatures who seemed to be staring at something on the ground before them.

Alistair nodded at Fernan who immediately vanished, and turned to the rest, asking them silently to be on their guard. Velanna transformed into a huge corrupted spider and moved along the wall, her legs making clicking sounds in the velvety silence that oppressed them.

They attacked just as Velanna dropped her huge arachnid body on an unsuspecting genlock and sank her fangs into its chest, killing it instantly.

Oghren managed to slice two of them in half in his first attack, bellowing loudly, while Marcus and himself hacked away at the bulk of the group, dispersing them. Fernan appeared shooting fire arrows at the ones that ran off, his aim true and fast. Anders stayed close behind them all, healing where necessary.

Within minutes they had managed to slay every single one of the darkspawn. There was light further up ahead showing a distinct ascent and a hole that led up to the surface.

While they were looting the bodies, a whimper came from underneath the creatures, and Alistair called to Marcus and Anders, so that they could help him carry the bodies off whomever or whatever lay on the ground, readying themselves to attack if it were necessary.

When they were done they found themselves staring into the wild eyes of an elven girl who was dressed in Dalish leathers, muttering to herself, half in Orlesian and half in Ferelden English.

It only took them one glance to realize what had happened to her.

She had been corrupted with the Taint.

"We must perform an emergency Joining," Alistair said quietly as he looked at her beautiful face, now marred by the darkness that threatened to make her mad or turn her into a broodmother.

He pulled the necessary items from his pack and nodded at Anders, and the two of them readied the concoction quickly.

Alistair then turned to the girl.

"We are Grey Wardens. We do not wish to harm you. You have been tainted and must drink what is in the cup to save your life. It is the only thing that will help you now," he whispered kindly to her.

Her pretty little brow furrowed in thought and she found herself looking directly at Velanna, who was staring at her, a mixture of kindness, pity and something else in her features.

"Do not be afraid, Lethallin. You will survive and become a Grey Warden. It is the only way for you now," Velanna's voice was soft and pleading at the same time.

The girl nodded then.

"Join us brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be foresworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you." Alistair's voice sounded firm and unwavering and he held out the cup for her to drink.

Taking the cup into her hands, she gulped down its contents, gasping afterwards as her eyes turned white and she slumped to the ground unconscious.

"She will live," Alistair said quietly after a moment.

He stood up, and asked the others to help carry her further up ahead, directly underneath the hole that led to the surface. Some fresh air was coming up from above, and they rested there, breathing it in.

Velanna suddenly stood, looking ahead into the darkness.

"Seranni?" She whispered as her eyes glazed over, her breathing hitched.

"Velanna!" Alistair's voice, sharp and commanding.

She did not turn to him. She appeared not to have heard him.

"Seranni! Wait!" She sprinted forward, and Alistair moved to catch her arm but was too late.

In a matter of minutes, Velanna had disappeared into the darkness.

They never saw her again.

...

Leonie Caron pushed a strand of damp hair off her face as she stared at the darkspawn who were attacking the Dalish camp. They had arrived too late, it seemed and she now had to slay them all, including any surviving Dalish. She could not let the ones that had been tainted live.

"Avant!" She told her party in hushed but urgent tones and they immediately fell upon the darkspawn, weapons slashing through them like butter.

Their advance was slow, but they worked their way around the one hundred they found at the camp, and killed each and every one of them.

Leonie found some Dalish elves - men, women and two children crawling amongst the rest of the bodies feasting on their kin. They had gorged themselves but attacked when they saw her. She braced herself and fell into a defensive pose immediately her shield and sword at the ready.

Her blade fell on the first and then seemed to take up a life of its own, slashing throats, plunging into chests, and the screams of the elves burned her ears, her heart bleeding for them.

Once they were done with the grisly task of killing them all, she barked out an order to the group, grimacing slightly.

"...être détruit par le feu," She commanded quietly. And the rest burned everything to the ground, till only ashes remained.

Leonie walked away into the forest, leaving them to their task.

Only then did she allow the tears that she had kept hidden from the rest to fall.

...

**A/N: I apologize profusely for killing the French language here. My French is not very good, and I used a dictionary for the two phrases above, lol. I wonder now what madness possessed me to make this fic take place in Orlais of all countries, hahaha! Next chapter up soon! :D **


	4. Impossible Thoughts

**My sincerest thanks to jugalettePENNER, Warrose and Jinx 1983 for their reviews! I loved them! :D **

**Merry Christmas to all! :D **

**Bioware owns, of course. ;) **

Chapter 4 - Impossible Thoughts

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do

Nothing to lose

And it's you and me and all other people

And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

One of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right

I'm tripping on words

You've got my head spinning

I don't know where to go from here

You and me - Lifehouse

_We have a new warden in our ranks. The girl is elven, one of the Dalish. We still don't know what happened to her clan, she hasn't spoken since she went through her Joining. I think she does understand what we say to her, but she is withdrawn, and there is a sadness to her I wish I could get rid of. _

_She is beautiful. I really find myself attracted to her, and wish I could do something to-_

Alistair stopped writing for a moment, remembering her lovely blue eyes, long lashes, soft pink lips and trembled slightly. Maker's breath, what was coming over him?

He grasped the quill again firmly and continued writing -_ease her pain, but I don't know what. _

_We lost Velanna today also. She cried out her sister's name before she disappeared into the darkness. We tried to look for her but there was no trace of her. There must have been another branch of the tunnel hidden in the darkness but we never found it. _

_I can't put into writing how I still feel about Teslin's death, and my heart is heavy as I write. Maker's breath! Why is it that I was so foolish? How could I have let exhaustion cloud my mind? I am the Warden Commander! _

Then, his writing got jerkier, and blotches started appearing on the page as he pressed down on the page too hard.

_I don't deserve to be Warden Commander. I am just a fool playing general. Duran never should have suggested I do this. Well, he didn't give me much of a choice to say no, did he? He ran off to Orzammar, and left me with the burden. He writes but never agrees to the one thing I want him to do. He always says no and that I'm doing a good job. Ha! _

_Teslin is dead now, and it's all my fault. _

The last sentence was written so angrily, that the quill had scratched straight through the page. A shadow now fell on the page, making him glace upwards quickly. Fernan stood there looking down at him. Alistair closed the journal with a resounding clap.

"What can I do for you, Fernan?" He asked curtly.

"Commander. Teslin's death was not your fault. The darkspawn attacked quickly and could have killed us all. We were drugged."

"What?" Alistair cried out, but all the same his voice had a hint of hope in it, just a sliver.

"I found the remains of the drug just outside the camp, it was in this vial, some of it is still in there, so don't pull the stopper out. I recognized the drug immediately, because of its distinct golden hue." He held out the vial to Alistair, who took it, his hands shaking slightly.

After a while, he handed the vial back to him and drew out a long breath.

"Thank you, Fernan. This- this means a lot to me."

"Certainly, Commander. I also wanted to add that the newest warden will not eat. Perhaps you could do something about that?" He quizzed, tilting his head to the side before bowing slightly and leaving Alistair's tent.

They had set up camp a while ago, after finally leaving the darkspawn tunnels. There was a small creek nearby and the trees protected them from the cold wind that had started to pick up upon their arrival.

Alistair stood up, placing his journal in his pack and hurried out of his tent. His heart was beating a little faster, and he tried to calm himself but his heart still raced and he was annoyed because he couldn't control it.

He stopped in front of the fire, his eyes automatically falling to the small figure sitting in front of it sadly. Then, he took a deep breath and plunged right in.

...

"Hello," the shemlen said softly to her. "Can I sit down?" She looked up into his warm amber eyes and after a while nodded.

"I was beginning to think you didn't understand our language. I'm relieved to be quite honest. I- I'm not very fluent in Orlesian and my accent is terrible," he said, his eyes twinkling.

She took his handsome features in and curiously gave him another glance before turning her gaze back to the fire.

"My name is Alistair and I'm the Warden Commander. I know that you are Dalish," he paused as she turned back to him again, this time the expression in her eyes had changed to anger and he faltered, "but I won't ask you any questions about yourself, I promise," he finished hurriedly in an apologetic tone.

She relaxed after a moment and the corners of her lips twitched slightly, but Alistair caught the movement, and he smiled, relieved at his small victory for the time being.

"You are a Grey Warden now, and I was thinking that maybe you need to know some more about our order. For example, Grey Wardens are known to eat a lot. And by a lot I mean, well- huge quantities of food. So, it's all right for you to be feeling hungry right now. Because your body needs it. You see, your body is changing, just adapting to the darkspawn blood you drank and it needs to-"

"I am not hungry," the girl interrupted. Her voice was soft and it had a slight Orlesian accent to it, but barely discernable. His eyes registered shock at hearing her speak to him for the first time, and then he smiled, and his amber eyes warmed and lit up.

Her stomach growled then, and he chuckled. A blush tinged her cheeks with a beautiful pink color and she averted his eyes.

"I see," he replied. "Well, there is plenty of food here. It's in a pot by the fire. I can get you some right now if you wish..."

She turned back to him, looking at him curiously again, her eyes darting over his face and settling on his eyes again.

"All right, I'll eat." She replied, and smiled.

Alistair Theirin felt his heart skip a beat when he saw that smile. It illuminated her entire face, and her eyes shone brightly like twin stars.

He grinned as he went to the pot by the fire, and quickly got her a bowl of rabbit stew and some bread, then hurried back to her handing her the bowl and bread carefully. Unsure of what to do next, he cleared his throat, and found himself hypnotized as she ate, watching her every movement. She looked up suddenly and caught him watching her. He felt the blush creep up on him, and knew his ears must be a deep red by now.

Surprisingly, she blushed slightly in return, and fixed her eyes on her food again as she continued to heave large quantities of food into her mouth.

He turned around then, to leave her so that she could eat in peace but her voice stopped him, just as he was about to walk away.

"My name is Chantalle. Thank you for the food."

And Alistair Theirin suddenly felt his heart summersault and start to sing as a bright smile lit up his face and he bowed to her. He walked away with a spring in his step, and saw that Anders had watched the whole thing.

He groaned inwardly and prepared himself to be boarded by the mage.

...

"Shut up, Anders," he practically growled at him before he even had a chance to open his mouth to speak.

"But, I haven't said anything," Anders replied looking at him innocently.

Alistair was not fooled.

"I know you are going to say something, so get out of my way. I need to continue to do what I was doing in my tent. I actually have to keep track of certain things, you know. I have to write down certain events, so that I can pass them on to our records at the keep."

"Well, but first let me congratulate you wholeheartedly for getting her to eat, and speak," Anders replied, his tone sincere.

"Huh, that's a switch," Alistair shot back.

"It pains me that you do not really _know_ me at all, Commander," Anders's tone was sad now, but his eyes had started to twinkle.

"See? There it is! I knew it!" Alistair said triumphantly.

"What?"

"That twinkle in your eyes! Oh, I _do_ know what you have in mind, so I'm going to make it easy for you. I _don't _want to bed her, and that's final. Now get out of my way," he said, and a slight blush made its way to his cheeks as he spoke.

Anders complied, grinning and Alistair finally pulled open the flap to his tent and settled himself inside comfortably, reaching for his journal.

"You're a very bad liar, you know." Came Anders's voice from outside. Alistair cursed, as he heard his retreating laugh.

He shook his head and opened his journal as he wrote down the latest events that had just transpired.

_Fernan informed me that we had been drugged! That was a relief and I can now safely say that I don't feel so guilty anymore. Besides I've just returned from having a conversation with our new recruit and managed to get her to eat and she even smiled at me. And now I know her name. It's Chantalle. Chantalle. It sounds beautiful, doesn't it? Just like she is. _

He paused and shook his head violently now, crossing out the last three lines he had written. He then focused on the facts.

_Wardens lost today: Two_

_- Velanna, Dalish elf. Disappeared in an underground darkspawn tunnel. We tried looking for her but several hours of search revealed nothing. Whereabouts unknown. But we do know now that these tunnels are currently being dug underground all over Orlais, which can only mean that the darkspawn are after something in Orlais. If only we knew what! _

_- Teslin Cardock, fine warrior. Died while we were attacked by darkspawn after they drugged us. A dagger had been plunged into his heart and he was decapitated afterwards. _

He stopped writing, setting his quill on the ground, and shutting his journal, his eyes lost in a dreamy stare as he relived the conversation he had just had with her. Her eyes and her smile had touched his heart in ways he never thought possible and his heart fluttered anew with the memory of her.

He gave himself a mental shake. Impossible thoughts! Standing up, he left the tent to discuss other matters with his party. He wanted to see who would take up first watch and tell Chantalle there were two tents now available for her to sleep in. He knew that she would probably sleep in Velanna's empty tent, but wanted her to make the choice anyway.

His whole body felt light as he approached the fire. She was still sitting in front of it, but this time her eyes lifted briefly to acknowledge his arrival, shining brightly into his.

And this time, he did nothing to quiet the crazy beating of his heart.

...

They listened to the orders given out on who should take up watch that night, and Chantalle stood there quietly watching the shems as they talked a little about what had happened in the tunnels as well.

The one that had introduced himself was the most intriguing one to her. She had been taught that shems were nothing but beasts who were hostile and wanted to subjugate the Elvhenan to their way of life, turning them into slaves. Her clan had never even camped near a human city because they were one of the clans who did not believe that interaction between the two races could ever be possible. In short, she had been taught to hate humans and to be wary of them.

It came as a surprise to her that she had been rescued by these shemlens, and they had a Dalish elf with them already. This alone had made her wonder about what she had been taught all her life. And when the elven mage had marched into the dark tunnels, they had gone crazy trying to find her, but she had really disappeared.

Then there was the Joining she had just gone through. She had started to feel close to all the shems afterwards, and it confused her and put her on edge. She really didn't know what was happening to her, and had tried to stay away from them, trying to blot out the memory of her clan and what had happened to them.

For her clan had been attacked by foul creatures. She had seen them strike down and murder her father, mother and two sisters very clearly. She had thought they would kill her next, but they had just dragged her underground then, and raped her in the darkness, beating her to an unconscious pulp as they did so, bruising her and hurting her terribly. She had been a virgin and had lost it all to those monsters. She thought for a moment that she was going to die.

But she hadn't died, and then help had come, and the person who had saved her, had treated her kindly. The human mage that was with them had healed her. And then this person, the person who had spoken to her kindly had sat beside her and made her smile. She liked this shem, and it seemed to her that _that_ in itself was not possible. Shems were all beasts, weren't they?

But unreal as it seemed, she found herself both intrigued and enthralled by this kind shem and his beautiful warm eyes, who had made her smile and given her food.

And she thought that maybe, just maybe, there was the tiny possibility that her clan had been wrong all along.


	5. Comings and Goings

**Thanks so much Jinx1983, jugalettePENNER and Warrose for your support and reviews! Reviews are what keep me going! :D **

**I also want to thank those who have favored this fic and have it on their story alert list! It really is wonderful for me to know that there are people out there who like it and are following it closely! Thank you! If you can, please leave a comment after you read this chapter. I love reviews! :) **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 5 - Comings and Goings

_Where I've been, well it's all a blur.  
What I was looking for, I'm not sure.  
Too late and didn't see it coming.  
Somehow, I couldn't stop myself.  
I just wanted to know how it felt.  
Too strong, I couldn't hold on.  
Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense  
Out of how and why this happened.  
Where we're heading, there's just no knowing.  
Daughtry - Crashed_

.

.

As soon as Alistair had stopped talking, and the rest of them had wandered off, Anders approached him and cleared his throat.

"Just a minute, Anders," Alistair said and he turned back to Chantalle. "You can use her tent for now, maybe you want to get a bigger one, I don't know. As soon as we arrive at a village, we can shop for another tent."

"We are going to visit a shemlen village?" She frowned.

"Well, maybe," he said, taking in her stance which at the moment had turned into a wary, guarded one.

He kept looking at the tattoo on her forehead, which resembled a huge oak, its branches reaching up to her hairline. It wasn't a very dark tattoo, but it contrasted with the rest of her skin which was pale and white, almost translucent.

Realizing that she felt confused and vulnerable he added hastily, "I won't let them hurt you, I promise."

She glanced up and seemed to relax considerably but she did reply haughtily to what he had said.

"I can take care of myself."

One of his eyebrows shot up as he saw for the first time a certain stubbornness and strength he had not seen before.

"Oh, I wasn't- I mean I didn't mean you can't. I'm sure you can, it's just that-"

Anders interrupted again, much to his dismay and annoyance. "Commander, I really have to talk to you. This is important."

"What, Anders?" He snapped, his voice loud.

Chantalle moved two steps back then. His reaction had clearly startled her. Without saying a word to either one of them, she walked towards what had been Velanna's tent.

Alistair watched her leave resignedly, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he turned back to Anders who smiled weakly.

"No, I've got bad timing. Sorry about that. But you really should know something about her, before you...er...scare her off or something. It's serious this time."

He nodded after deciding that he indeed was serious and motioned him to follow him to the fire, sitting down on a log and waiting for him to sit beside him.

"It's Chantalle. I scanned her before healing her when we helped her down there. I discovered what had happened to her, and why she was so bruised. It was kind of difficult to spot because she was completely covered in blood, but magical scans don't lie. She's been raped, Alistair.

His eyes widened with shock.

"Maker's breath!"

"I'm guessing it was the darkspawn that did it. The wounds were fresh, so to speak, and the internal bruising was bad. I think they had spared her life because they wanted to turn her into a-"

Alistair raised his hand, while swallowing hard, keeping the bile that raised in his throat down.

"Please, no need to continue. I know all about it. I remember my encounter with Hespith very clearly, down in the Deep Roads." He grimaced.

"I don't know what happened to her clan either. But judging by her silence and her desire to be alone, not to mention the grief that you can see in her eyes, I'm guessing it must have been bad and the memories that haunt her must be terrible. Maybe the darkspawn attacked her clan and dragged her off? Of course this is all just speculation on our part. It is possible that her clan is all right, and she was kidnapped while in the woods, you know." Anders sounded hopeful.

But Alistair knew that what he had just said was highly improbable. He didn't know much about Dalish elves, but he knew enough to know that they did not wander off into the forest alone, without at least some company. Still, Anders was right and they were speculating. They would never know what happened until she decided to open up and tell them. Judging by her demeanor, that would not be happening soon.

"Thank you for telling me this, Anders. I'll be especially careful around her now." He said, as he walked towards the tent she now occupied.

"Where are you going?"

He turned back to Anders briefly before resuming his walk. "Why to apologize for my outburst to you, of course! She needs to be shown kindness. A lot of it, in fact."

And Anders smiled back at him, instantly realizing that Alistair was just the right kind of person to bestow kindness to others.

...

"Chantalle? I wanted to check and see if you were all right. I- I know I yelled at Anders back there. I kind of lost my temper. I'm sorry if it frightened you."

No reply. Not one sound. He shuffled nervously. "Well," he said. "I'll be going now. We can talk about your training and other Grey Warden things tomorrow after breakfast. I hope you have a good night."

He turned and was about to walk away, when she again surprised him and did the same thing she had done earlier. Her muffled voice came through the canvas.

"Ma seranas...thank you. Good night."

Smiling, Alistair left for his own tent. He was too excited to fall asleep immediately, so he merely sat and tried to write, but he found himself just thinking about her and it was impossible to focus.

Sighing resignedly, he put his journal away, and took his armor off, then slipped underneath the blanket and drifted off to sleep.

...

The following morning they all had breakfast together. Chantalle ate hungrily, her blue eyes darting around, resting on each of them as she studied their mannerisms, and listened to what they were saying.

Oghren sat and burped mostly. He still hadn't said a word to her and she preferred it that way. She didn't like him much.

Her eyes fell on Marcus and his benign smile. He seemed a good person, but she still didn't trust shemlens completely, so she refrained from even smiling at him.

Now, Fernan...he was a completely different story. He stood out from the rest, but Chantalle recognized another rogue immediately, as she herself was one. She suddenly remembered she had no weapons and decided to talk to the Warden Commander about it. She smiled slightly. Warden Commander. If she was already calling him this, then it meant she was starting to accept them all as her new clan.

As soon as breakfast was over, she offered to wash the dishes, and Fernan pointed her to the direction of the creek ahead. She really wanted to bathe so she asked if anyone had some soap.

Alistair quickly told her that he did, and ran off to his tent to get some, then came back with a bar and a towel. She smiled and a dimple appeared suddenly right under her right cheek.

He stared at it mesmerized until she turned and strode off to the creek leaving him standing there and he gave himself a shake, pulling out his map from the pack he was carrying. They were not far from Montsimmard. He realized that the tunnels had helped them cross a lot of terrain and they had come up very near the small city.

He had never been there, but he knew that most of the reports he had received before embarking on this journey said that the darkspawn were attacking all around it, so he also knew that their present position put them into this danger as well. He suddenly wondered if it had been wise to let Chantalle wander to the creek on her own, and secretly wished there was another woman in the party, if only to accompany her at all times to keep her safe.

His hand flew automatically to the nape of his neck and his fingers entwined into his longish hair, pulling at it as he thought about this.

They would have to be on their guard for there was no telling when the darkspawn would attack again.

...

He was busy packing when she returned, looking fresh, her long blond hair was damp and looked darker.

"Chantalle, may I speak to you?" He asked as he intercepted her on her way back to the tent.

"Yes, of course. But you are busy packing and I must pack too, no?" She said softly.

"I just wanted to know if you have been trained to use weapons. We are in darkspawn infested territory. They've been attacking this area regularly, so I think it best that you should have some weapons."

"I've been trained to wield twin blades. It does not matter if one of them is a sword. I prefer a sword and dagger myself," she said.

"Oh we do have some spare weapons, I'll go look for them right away."

She nodded at this, and started to put down her tent, folding the canvas carefully and methodically.

Alistair soon returned to her, carrying a longsword and dagger, both made of grey iron. She took them and felt them, swiping them around, pivoting on the spot as she did so.

Her movements took his breath away for a moment. They were very graceful but deadly at the same time.

She smiled and thanked him, and he gave her some leather straps for her to strap them onto her back.

Chantalle then turned back to look at him. She obviously wanted to say something to him.

"Warden Commander," she said, and Alistair started. Well, that was what he was, but deep down inside he wished she had called him by his name.

"Yes, what do you need?" He smiled.

"What do I do with her things?" She waved her hand at them.

"I'll keep them. My pack is large enough to carry them all. Don't worry. I'll just finish up packing my things and come back here."

She nodded and stood there, obviously done with her packing.

"I can help you with your things, yes?"

"You want to help me?" He asked, echoing her words.

"Is that so difficult to understand?" She was frowning.

"No, no, no! I don't mean it that way at all!" He mumbled, looking for the right words to say. "I mean, you should maybe rest quietly while I finish up."

"Oh," she said, her eyes darkening. "I wanted to feel useful. But I understand if you want to be alone."

"Oh! It's not like that at all!" He protested, then sighed. "Maker! I do babble like an idiot. I apologize. Maybe you can walk with me, and I'll tell you some things about the order. I'm sure you have some questions? Did you have any nightmares last night?"

"Nightmares? You mean bad dreams, yes? No. No, I didn't," she frowned.

"The reason why I'm asking is because all wardens have nightmares. It's because we tap into their minds. The darkspawn's minds, that is."

"I understand," she said simply. "I did not have any dreams because I did not sleep."

He didn't know what to say to that, but his eyes showed concern, and it made her feel awkward which in turn made her feel annoyed at herself.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" She asked, not unkindly, but there was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"No, it's fine. We can talk later." He said blushing slightly. He was obviously very observant of what went on regarding her, and she didn't know whether to welcome this, or avoid it altogether.

However, she didn't say anything else and nodded, finally walking towards the log in front of the dying fire, pulling her hair at the back of her head into a make-shift pony tail after she sat down where she waited patiently for them to continue with the journey.

...

Leonie Caron picked up her pace. She had sensed something up ahead, and she tensed, feeling a familiar tingling which could only mean one thing.

There were either darkspawn or wardens nearby.

She furrowed her brow. "Ici, là-bas," she said to the warden near her, as she stared pointedly into the forest.

They advanced warily, their weapons drawn just in case. The tingling sensation was getting stronger. She broke into a run, now certain that there were wardens nearby and that they could possibly be in danger.

And ran straight into Alistair, knocking him off his feet.

He muttered a very loud "Ow!" while he fell on his behind, and sat there rubbing his forehead where hers had collided previously.

"Pardonez-moi!" She exclaimed, bending down to help him up.

He shook his head and scrambled up quickly on his own, but regarded her with interest, before he saw her clearly and then his lips parted in surprise.

The woman before him was a warden. Of that he had no doubt - the tingling was there and unmistakable - and she obviously was Orlesian. Other than that, he saw that she was beautiful and her beauty simply took his breath away. Her tanned face held a pair of lovely twinkling honey brown eyes, her long dark eyelashes highlighting their honey color, and her hair was so dark, it looked black, even in the sun. Her nose, while slightly aquiline, was small, and her strong jaw and perfect lips...his gaze fastened on her lips.

_Maker, what is wrong with me? Everyone who knows me is going to think I'm some sort of lecher!_

Leonie blinked and broke into a smile, and he felt himself go weak. He groaned inwardly and struggled to get a grip on himself.

"Ah! You must be Alistair," She said in a deep Orlesian accent. She rolled the 'r' when she said his name, stressing the last syllable strongly. His name had never felt so deliciously sexy to him before.

She was holding her hand out to him, and he jumped slightly, blushed and took it gently, his eyes warm as they stared into her laughing ones.

"My name is Leonie Caron," she dimpled at him, smiling graciously. "I am the Warden Commander in Orlais."

**A/N: Well, you all didn't see **_**that **_**coming did you? Our innocent Chantry boy attracted to two women at the same time? There must be some mistake, right? Right? *snickers* **


	6. Discussions and Plans

**My sincerest thanks to Virginia Gale, Warrose and Jinx1973 for their awesome reviews! :D **

**Smuttiness ahead! You have been warned! LOL **

**Bioware owns, of course! ;) **

Chapter 6 - Discussions and Plans

_Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in and you're out  
You're up and you're down  
You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up  
Katy Perry - Hot and cold_

.

.

.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Alistair said automatically, as he continued to stare at her lovely dimpled face.

She either seemed unaware of this, or she was used to it. At any rate, she started a conversation on what she had discovered so far, completely ignoring Alistair's party and not bothering to introduce the men in her own.

"We have been fighting several large groups of darkspawn so far. It is fortunate that you have come to our aid, for the threat is growing," she said worriedly, a frown appearing momentarily on her face.

Alistair nodded. "Do you have any idea why they are attacking Orlais specifically?"

"Oui. A lot of ideas, but we shall talk later of this. I will introduce you to my men, yes?" She said in a business-like tone, but kept the twinkle in her eyes.

"Axel, Treau, Lernan, Jacques, Ferdinand and Pierre." Each of the men she called stepped forward at the mention of their name, bowed slightly and stepped back once the next man's name was called. They seemed to be very attentive and friendly, but Orlesians in general were very friendly and deceptive at the same time, hiding their inner thoughts and feelings remarkably well.

Alistair quickly introduced the members in his party as well, his eyes still on Leonie. She smiled to each of them, and when she was introduced to Chantalle, she tilted her head to the side for a few minutes, as if pondering or remembering something, but then quickly turned back to Alistair, who had caught her movement anyway.

Anders was smitten by Leonie and started flirting with her immediately when they resumed walking, this time looking for a suitable place to camp for the night.

"I often wondered why Orlesian women are famous for their beauty," Anders began. "Now I know."

Alistair rolled his eyes. That was the worse pick up line he had heard from Anders so far. It surprised him that the mage couldn't do better. What surprised him even more was the purr it elicited from her.

"Oh, you are adorable," she batted her eyelashes prettily at Anders, rolling her 'r' again, much to Alistair's dismay. "I am sure we can also say that Ferelden men are famous for their beauty, no?" She glanced back at Alistair her eyes lingering on his warmly. Alistair's feet turned to pudding and he stumbled.

"Are you all right there, Commander?" Anders called out. "You seem to be having trouble with your feet."

"My feet are fine, thank you very much," Alistair snapped back his reply, and Anders chuckled softly behind him while Leonie continued to flash her dimples at all of them.

"There is a good place to camp up ahead, Commander," Fernan suddenly appeared beside him, keeping up with his long strides as he spoke. "There is a stream not too far away where we can wash up and replenish our water skins also."

"Excellent, Fernan and thank you greatly," Alistair grinned at his rogue, who flashed a grin and vanished again.

Alistair sometimes wished he wouldn't do that. He knew that there was always the chance that Fernan could eavesdrop on conversations this way, though the man had never given any indication of having done so in the past. He was an excellent warden, however, and very loyal to Alistair.

"It will be good to wash up. This darkspawn blood smells horrible, does it not?" She wrinkled her nose and laughed musically at her comment. Alistair felt his blood racing in reply. He cursed at himself for his lack of self control. Leonie chose to continue talking about bathing however, and in his mind he suddenly began to peel the armor off her and was rewarded with an erection. "It will be delicious to feel the water on my skin, and feel clean and refreshed, n'est-ce pas?"

Alistair swallowed, his blush turning his ears into two beacons of red light. Behind him Anders burst out laughing.

"I think- this place right here...yes...would be suitable for camp," he squeaked out, and rushed into a clearing in the woods.

The rest followed silently and began to put up their tents.

...

"We should take turns to bathe," Leonie said, her dimples still showing as she smiled gracefully at them all. "I think the only two ladies in the group deserve to bathe first, oui?" Without waiting for a reply she smiled at Chantalle who stared back at her darkly.

"Chantalle, it makes sense. Safety in numbers, as they say. After you return the rest of us will bathe in pairs as well," Alistair spoke kindly to her, and for a moment, all the indecent thoughts about Warden Caron vanished from his head. She smiled up at him, nodding her agreement and his heart skipped a beat.

_Maker's breath! Why is this happening to me?_

He concentrated on putting up his tent and talking to everyone as the ladies left for their bath in the stream. One of Leonie's men offered to cook dinner and Alistair felt relieved. Truthfully, his party also felt extremely relieved.

As it turned out, Anders and Alistair were the last to bathe in the stream, as Anders had been using his magic to heat up the water for the rest, who were now sitting around the camp fire telling stories and joking as they bonded.

"So, I can tell you want her too." Anders said abruptly.

Alistair had been submerged in the water, for he wanted to wash his hair and Anders had thrown this at him when he surfaced, gasping for breath. He had never been good at holding his breath underwater and could not swim very well either. Anders's comment caught him completely off guard, and his mouth parted slightly in amazement.

"What?" Was the only word that came out. He had thought of several, actually, but he could not bring himself to offend his friend and fellow warden.

"You were practically undressing her back there, Alistair. I have eyes, you know!" He chuckled.

"Whatever happened to 'Commander'?" Alistair demanded.

"Oh, you always keep telling me to call you Alistair when we're alone. You are the only friend I have after all," came Anders's reply, and this comment caused him to smile. "Anyway, that isn't the point here. You are trying to side-track me, and it won't work!"

"I am, am I?" Alistair grinned.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Did you ask me a question?" He shot back, clearly enjoying himself.

"Well, no, that's true," Anders admitted. "But you can agree to what I said or not. You _do_ want her, and I can see that you now desire _two_ women. Whatever happened to the nice Chantry boy and ex- Templar?" Anders asked while he washed his hair.

"I don't know what you-"

"Of course, I want her too, so I guess this means we will be competing against each other?" He interrupted sadly.

Alistair opened his mouth to reply, and then shut it, realizing he didn't know how to answer to that.

Anders burst out laughing. "Oh, come on now, Alistair! Don't tell me you didn't realize that she's flirting with _everybody_? She isn't a swooning virgin and you can tell that she is a fiery one!"

"What?" Alistair repeated dumbly as the vision of him peeling off her armor came to his mind once again.

Anders sighed resignedly. "I can see that it's going to be difficult to get something into your head right now...well...into _this_ head, at least." And Anders pointed at Alistair's face, which was getting redder by the minute.

"Oh, I give up! I don't see you getting laid anytime soon, even with our newest addition to the group. You'd burst into flames and melt first!"

"Er..." Alistair gulped. He seemed to have lost the power to speak at the moment and Anders backed off, because he looked like he was about to have an apoplexy or something.

"Well, do you think we'll run into any darkspawn soon?" He asked, feeling it was time to change the subject, and that seemed to do the trick. Alistair relaxed and started to prattle on about the darkspawn, finally able to enjoy his bath at long last.

...

Dinner was a nice affair, not only because Alistair's group was relieved that he hadn't cooked it, but also because they were enjoying Orlesian food for a change, and that meant roasted meat and potatoes, with a lot of spices and tart sauces with vegetables that made them dig in and savor the food with relish.

The meat was venison. A couple of the Orlesian wardens had gone hunting and returned with a small deer which they promptly skinned and cut for the meal. As it turned out, they had plenty of leftovers, but with their warden appetites, that would soon be gone as well.

Chantalle surprised Alistair again by sitting next to him in front of the fire, without asking for his permission to. She smiled once at him and continued eating, her blue eyes thoughtful and wary of the rest.

At one point, when they were all sitting around digesting, Leonie started talking.

"We must say what we know about these attacks, and formulate a plan."

Alistair looked up. He had been focusing on Chantalle, and had started visibly when Leonie had begun talking.

"You said you had some ideas on the matter?" He replied in a conversational tone.

"Oh, I have a lot of ideas, and not just about the darkspawn," she purred eyeing him up and down, as if undressing him.

Alistair broke into a sweat despite it being a cool night.

"Um...yes. So why is it that you think they are here?"

"They are looking for something, mon cher," she said, her eyes darkening as she spoke.

Alistair nodded. "I thought so too. Have you contacted Weisshaupt at all?"

"I contacted them before I sent my missives to you," she replied, tapping a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "They must have replied by now. I asked if they could send reinforcements."

"How many wardens do you have at your disposal here?" Alistair asked curiously.

"We have two hundred total."

"That's a good number. We only have forty-eight in Ferelden," he said wistfully. "Though we did lose two here already." He looked at her sadly.

"Oh, I am sorry, Alistair," she did the 'r' thing with her tongue again, and any trace of sadness vanished completely from Alistair's mind as he fixed his eyes on her mouth again.

This time, she leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"I feel like taking a walk, do you wish to join me?" Her breath tickled his ear, and his body started to tingle.

"Um, uh..." He reached for the right words to say, but swallowed nervously as she got up, and swaying her hips, which were at this moment very visible, as she had on a pair of tight breeches and a short tunic, that did nothing to conceal her feminine curves.

Alistair got up completely mesmerized, a bulge clearly visible on the front of his trousers, and followed her out of the clearing and into the thick of the forest.

Behind him, Chantalle watched, her eyes flashing with something close to anger briefly, before they turned back to the fire again.

...

As soon as they were out of earshot and vision, Alistair pounced on her, his lips pressing on hers, and his arms holding her against him. She parted her lips and her tongue gently skimmed over his lips, which he opened in surprise and wonder, her tongue meeting his and sending sparks into his stomach and below, the heat of the kiss causing him to moan into her mouth.

They broke away panting only to gaze into each other's eyes and then they resumed their kissing passionately and fiercely.

Alistair's hands roamed all over her back, and she pressed herself into him more eagerly, moaning softly into his mouth which made his erection even harder if possible. Her hands travelled down his side, and one of them quickly found his bulge and caressed it through the layers of clothing that covered him. He thought his head would explode soon. One of his hands hesitated over her buttocks, and the other grabbed the nape of her neck, as his mouth left her lips and kissed her cheek. She moved her head upwards, and his lips found her neck and she moaned, so he took this as a hint to continue to kiss the nape of her neck and on an impulse his tongue flicked out to taste her.

She went crazy, and pressed herself into him rubbing her crotch against his erection which was straining against his trousers.

He broke away, panting.

"I've never-" he gulped, as he tried to put it into words, "I mean, I have not made love to-"

"Oui, I understand," she whispered, putting a finger on his lips to silence him. "You have the air of innocence, mon cher." She smiled, and he kissed the dimples fiercely. "I can teach you what you need to know," she said next and he stopped what he was doing to look at her, his eyes expressing something that she could not understand at the moment.

He broke away from her, sighing. "I- I think we should go slowly," he swallowed.

"Why do you resist, mon cher? This is a natural thing. You desire me, no?"

"Maker, yes!" He breathed, moving to take her in his arms again.

"Then you will have me. But tonight I will give you a taste of what is to come, oui?" She sighed into his ear, and dropped to her knees in front of him.

His eyes widened, and seemed to be ready to pop out of his sockets when he realized what she was about to do, her fingers nimbly working at the leather laces that held his trousers together.

In a very short time, she had untied them, and pulled his trousers down, regarding his bulge interestedly for a brief second, then his small clothes. His erection sprang forward, free from its confinement at last.

"Oh, you should be proud! It is very big and beautiful," she murmured, her hand on it lightly, her fingertips grazing its tip. He moaned into the night air, digging his hands into her short silky hair. He had never before felt this pleasure, the sparks in his stomach grew and he thought he would surely melt before it was over. He bit his lower lip, trying to hold on and thanks to his Templar training he was able to control himself, looking down at her and enjoying himself immensely.

Then she took him into her mouth. He nearly lost it and felt his release surging. He tried to tell her to stop but her hands were traveling up and down his shaft, following a rhythm, her lips and mouth sucking and kissing, her tongue traveling repeatedly over and around the tip, until he felt he would die for sure.

The pace she was going at increased, she felt his release building up in him. She felt and knew he was about to come, and she took him completely into her mouth as far as she could, and he thrust himself into her, releasing his seed with a growl and a cry.

She softly let him go then, and sat on the floor, looking up at him seductively.

He dropped down on his knees with a grunt, all the strength in his legs seemed to have abandoned him.

From behind them a voice broke into their passionate interlude.

"Commander?" It was Anders.

He let out a curse that brought a laugh from Leonie.

"What is it Anders?" He answered back breathlessly.

"We are ready to retire for the night. We wanted to know who is to take first watch. Of course, we can wait until you have...er...recovered the use of your _feet_."

He heard him walking away laughing and he blushed.

"We can continue this later, yes?" She flirted past him leaving him alone still kneeling on the ground. He glanced down only to see that his erection was still very much in force, and he groaned in dismay.

Pulling his smalls up and his trousers as well, he desperately tried to think of something that would quiet him as well as take his mind off what had just happened while he stood up and gazed up at the winking stars over his head, breathing in the cool night air slowly until his breathing was back to normal.

His heartbeat slowed down and he was finally able to head back to the clearing himself and mentally began assigning tasks to his men, which helped him to look very relaxed when the camp and fire came into view at last.

...

Leonie bristled and he found himself being challenged by her at his choices for the night watch on the camp.

"I think we two should watch together," she frowned.

Alistair frowned too. He did not think it was a wise choice. Not only because he knew that he would ravish her immediately once they were alone, but because they were both commanding officers, and it was unwise to have them both exposed to any kind of attack at the same time.

"I have to respectfully disagree. We are both commanding officers. One of us should watch while the other one sleeps. It is the most reasonable option." He crossed his arms and looked into her eyes steadily.

"Bien," she relented shrugging, and walked off to her tent, her eyes flashing angrily into his before leaving.

He turned to face the rest. Anders was grinning at him, but the rest were not. However, they seemed to be looking up to him with admiration and this made him smile.

Then Anders made the most surprising remark of the entire day.

"I'm really not feeling well. I ask for permission to go to sleep, Commander."

"Oh!" He looked at him and Anders gave him a look of sheer exhaustion. "Very well, Anders, you can go to your tent. The rest of you can also leave."

Chantalle remained standing.

"Yes, Chantalle?" He asked gently. "You can go and try to get some rest now."

"Oh! But you just finished saying Anders and I were to take up the first watch. But Anders is gone."

Alistair blinked as he came to realize what Anders had done _on purpose_. He cursed but felt elated at the same time.

And instead of backing away to sit on a log in front of the fire, he found himself smiling down gently at Chantalle, who smiled back at him shyly.


	7. Pain and Grief

**Wow! Thanks so much Elizabeth-Chan for your reviews! Your sense of humor is greatly appreciated! My deepest thanks to Virginia Gale, jugalettePENNER, Warrose and my sista Jinx1983 for all the fantastic comments and feedback! Without **_**all **_**of you, I probably would just let my ideas fester and my brain would rot, lmao! Um, I mean...I wouldn't be writing! **

**Fair warning: This is a serious and 'angsty' and touching chapter, so haul in a truck load of tissues. You have been warned! LOL **

**Bioware owns! I just fool around with Alistair *sighs deeply* and Anders, hehehe! **

Chapter 7 - Pain and Grief

"We don't have to be standing here," Alistair finally broke the silence. "We can go sit in front of the fire, if you want to."

Chantalle nodded and followed him to the fire sitting on a log, while he sat on the ground beside her, his eyes gazing at all the tents from time to time.

"You know, when I became a Warden, I thought I would never be happier. Duncan saved me from living a miserable life in the Chantry," he said quietly remembering what had happened when Duncan conscripted him nearly four years ago.

"Duncan?" She asked curiously.

"He was the Warden Commander in Ferelden at the time. A good man, who didn't deserve what happened to him. He was killed at a battle in Ostagar. That was when all the wardens in Ferelden died. Except for Duran, a dwarf from Orzammar, and myself, that is."

"How is it that you survived?"

"Well, I think that it was pure luck sometimes, but the king may have had something to do with it. He sent Duran and me to the Tower of Ishal to light a beacon. The beacon would serve as a signal for Teryn Loghain, who was the commander of this armies, to flank the horde and attack. That was the plan. But Loghain betrayed the king, and ordered his men to move out. They left them on the battlefield to die." His features darkened as he remembered that night of betrayal.

"I am sorry," she sensed his pain.

He smiled briefly. "It happened three years ago, give or take. I just wish I could have saved Duncan, though. He was like a father to me." He sighed. "But there was nothing to do, but run around Ferelden trying to secure aid against the darkspawn horde. Trying to end the Blight. Which we did, of course."

"And now the darkspawn have returned," she said frowning.

"Yes, that has me thinking as well. Why? It's very odd. They are supposed to be in the Deep Roads."

"The Deep Roads?"

"Let's see...how do I explain this?" He pondered for a bit and continued. "You know there are dwarves, right? They live in the city of Orzammar which is beneath the surface. The Deep Roads are a series of tunnels which are really roads, because they used to be connecting roads to more dwarven cities, all underground. But gradually the darkspawn have overtaken the cities killing the dwarves and now only Orzammar and Kal Sharok remain. The dwarves fight the darkspawn their entire lives."

She nodded at this, her blue eyes never leaving his face, as she focused on every word he spoke.

"The Deep Roads are also where all the Wardens go to...die," he added after a short while. He looked at her, but when she said nothing, he took a deep breath and continued. "You see, the Taint in us, it is like a death sentence. We have thirty years to live after we drink the darkspawn blood, after we go through the Joining. When we start having terrible nightmares continuously...that's when we know that our Calling has come. We go to the Deep Roads then, to die in battle, fighting the darkspawn before we die, and killing as many as we can."

"So I am going to die," she whispered.

"We're all going to die," he said sadly. "sooner or later. But for us, it is a sure thing. The Taint is a burden that we carry until death. If we don't go to the Deep Roads, we either turn into ghouls or darkspawn ourselves. Women can turn into broodmothers."

"Broodmothers?" She asked, and he faltered, remembering suddenly what Anders had told him.

He stared at her face unable to reply to this, and his eyes unconsciously rested on her tattoo again. She smiled.

"I'm sorry," he said blushing slightly. "I don't mean to stare. But it's a beautiful tree. That's what it is, right?"

"Yes," she said, and that elusive dimple appeared again, and his eyes darted briefly to it, before flying up to her forehead again. "I can tell you why I chose this tattoo."

"I would like that very much," he replied, his voice a whisper, his eyes gentle and warm at the same time.

"My people live by a code. It is called the 'Way of Three Trees'. There are three parts to the code. The first part is Vir Assan. Vir Assan is the 'Way of the Arrow'. _We must fly straight and not waver_. The second part of the code is Vir Bor'Assan. It is the 'Way of the Bow'. _We bend but we never break_. The third part of the code is Vir Adahlen. Vir Adahlen is the 'Way of the Forest'. _Together we are stronger than the one._ This code is our way of life. It is Vir Tanadahl."

"That is...beautiful," he whispered again to her and she smiled shyly at him.

"All my life they taught me shemlens were evil, and would always try to break us, to turn us into slaves. Then the darkspawn came and I knew what evil really meant," she said then, and the pain in her eyes broke his heart. He knew what had happened to her, but could not say anything. He would let her tell him when she was ready.

"Do you still think shemlens are evil?" He asked, his amber eyes warm and kind.

"No, I do not. I have found out that my people were wrong," she whispered back and her eyes were suddenly a darker shade of blue which held and captivated him, drawing him in.

He smiled and stood up. "Let's just walk around the camp perimeter for now. Keep an eye on things."

She nodded and fell into step beside him. They didn't speak again that night.

There was no need to.

...

_We had an interesting encounter today...or was it yesterday? No matter. We met Leonie Caron, the Warden Commander of Orlais. Maker's breath! That woman has enough fire in her to burn down an entire city. I don't know whether I should run away the next time we meet privately or welcome her with open arms. I followed her into the woods and we kissed. I learned then how to kiss 'Orlesian style' and how erotic a kiss can be. Maker's breath! Even now as I remember I feel myself aching for her!_

_We didn't exactly do...it...that...but she did do the most wonderful things to my...member. I experienced pleasure that goes beyond all the times I indulged in pleasuring myself. I found myself so attracted to her that I would have ravished her immediately after my release. Anders interrupted us, however and she could only promise that there would be a next time as she left. _

_And now that I'm writing this I can express my inner thoughts and feelings better. Anders faked a sudden illness and exhaustion when I paired him off for night watch, and I let him go. Then I realized it had all been a part of his plan, as I had forgotten that I had assigned him to take up watch with Chantalle! We chatted most of the night, and I can say that she is truly special and beautiful. _

He paused a moment, quill still in his hand, a dreamy expression on his eyes as he relived the conversation with Chantalle. Smiling to himself, he continued writing.

_Chantalle has been through a lot of pain and suffering. When we found her among the darkspawn in the tunnels, I had no idea what she had been through. Anders finally told me later, and this filled my heart with grief for her. I longed to comfort her, but know that she will have to come to me and tell me the truth before I can do that. I __**will**__ keep my mouth shut this time! I thank the Maker that we arrived in time to save her from her awful fate. If we had not been there, the darkspawn would have succeeded in turning her into a broodmother. She should not have been raped! I'm sorry we didn't manage to arrive earlier to prevent this but I am glad we killed each and every one of them, and her Joining was what saved her. _

_Leonie expressed that the darkspawn were looking for something in Orlais, and I agreed. I still cannot, for the life of me, guess what it is they are after, but it looks to me that they are following orders from a higher-level entity. Another Architect? Maker help us if this is so._

_Leonie's men are following my orders now, which amuses me. I have always felt that I am not a natural leader, and am constantly terrified of being responsible of getting us lost most of the time, but they agreed when I paired them off for night watch. She, however, was angry but accepted my word in spite of this. I did not like the way she walked off, and feel that she has been used to getting her way all her life. She is clearly not used to following orders, at any rate! _

He laughed at this, and put the journal away, finally getting into his bedroll to catch a few hours of sleep. He wondered if Chantalle was asleep, she had told him that she wasn't sleeping and it worried him. The last thought on his mind before falling to sleep was to ask her how she had slept, if she had slept at all.

...

They sat together at breakfast, and even though Alistair had tried to talk to Chantalle, Leonie had managed to sit between them and was now chatting away with one of her men in Orlesian, leaning towards him and over his lap.

This made him uncomfortable, to say the least, and he kept stealing furtive glances at Chantalle, who kept to herself and her food and did not look his way. He noticed she was avoiding them when he saw her stiffen every time Leonie flung an innuendo at him.

"I do not think that the darkspawn are the same. They seem to be more intelligent now, and seem to be following orders from a higher-level darkspawn. An intelligent one, perhaps?" Leonie's thoughts cut through his inner musings.

"I happen to agree with you. I don't understand how this could be possible." And then he was explaining what had happened at Amaranthine, with the Mother and the Architect. Everyone listened with great interest, for nobody there knew all the details, except for Anders who had gone through everything with Alistair.

When he was done, Leonie had furrowed her brow deep in thought.

"Yes, it does not make sense that there would be another one so soon. But maybe it is one that took up what he did not finish, no?" She said thoughtfully.

Alistair grimaced at the thought, though it seemed like a plausible explanation.

"Have you encountered any talking darkspawn before we met?" Alistair asked.

"No. We have battled them three times already. The last battle was not pleasant. We arrived at a Dalish camp, where the fiends had slaughtered most of the elves there. The elves that survived were eating their own, already turned into ghouls, and we had to kill them all, even the children before-"

Chantalle let out a shriek that made Alistair drop the cup of tea he was holding. She stood up quickly and ran off towards the stream.

Leonie watched her and a hand shot to her mouth. "Ah, Je comprendre - I understand," she murmured. "That was _her _clan!"

Alistair said nothing but stood up himself, and walked towards where he thought Chantalle had gone.

Leonie watched him go and her eyes narrowed slightly. She then felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked for the source. The handsome blonde mage was staring at her intently.

Smiling, she got closer to him and batted her eyelashes, her dimples showing in all their glory.

Anders chuckled softly as he waited for her to speak.

...

She felt him and heard him approach and squared her shoulders, her demeanor instantly defensive.

He paused a few feet away, unsure of the right path to take. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and began talking.

"I'm so sorry, Chantalle. I know you must have been through a lot of pain."

"You do not know. You were not there." Her statement was cold, but he knew that the coldness was not directed at him. It was a self-defense mechanism which automatically built walls up before anyone could get close to her.

"When I lost Duncan, I also built a wall around my heart, and ached inside. I thought nobody could ever understand the way I felt. But my friend, and fellow warden, Duran, taught me I was wrong. The only way that the pain went away was when I trusted him and let him in," he said quietly.

She turned around to face him, her eyes held an infinite sadness. His heart went out to her.

"Commander, I thank you for your concern. I do not wish to grieve. Those monsters killed my father, mother and two sisters in front of me, and I could not stop them alone. I could not react the way I should have. It is my fault they are dead. And nothing you say will ever make me feel differently."

She walked away from him and back to the camp, and her shoulders remained squared, her stance angry and defiant.

Alistair followed her, greatly concerned at what he had heard, and deep down inside wondered how long it would take before she broke down completely.

...

They were ambushed by darkspawn before they arrived to Montsimmard, and immediately began to fight, their battle cries and sounds of weapons clashing against weapons and armor causing the birds in the nearby trees to take flight.

Alistair instinctively moved towards Chantalle as he fought, his shield protecting her and Starfang slashing easily through the evil creatures like butter. She killed ten of them, before the battle was done, her lithe form a blur as she danced madly and pivoted on the spot.

When the last of them had been cut down, she stood, drenched in blood and sweat, heaving heavily amongst the fallen corpses, her breath coming in gasps.

Then, she dropped down on her hands and knees and wailed, her scream causing the rest to freeze in their tracks.

Starfang and shield fell to the ground, and without saying a word, Alistair knelt beside her and took her in his arms, rocking her gently as she continued to sob and cry loudly, unable to speak, unable to stop, unable to move.


	8. What Happens in Montsimmard

**Thank you Jinx1983 for such a wonderful review and Warrose, for your awesome review as well! You both rock! :D **

**Bioware owns, and I play around with the characters, lol ;) **

Chapter 8 - What happens in Montsimmard...

_Call your name everyday when I feel so helpless  
I'm fallen down but I'll rise above this, rise above this  
Call your name everyday when I seem so helpless  
I'm fallen down, and I'll rise above this, rise above this doubt  
Rise above this - Seether_

.

.

Alistair looked up and his eyes met Anders'. One look at Alistair, and Anders clearly understood what he wanted. He quickly focused on a spell which he sent off to Chantalle. She slumped to the ground unconscious.

Alistair then stood up, and bent down to carry her.

"Fernan, please take my weapon and shield and strap them on my back." Fernan complied. "We should continue walking. How far to Montsimmard?" Alistair said quietly.

"Not far, mon cher," came Leonie's reply. "Just over that hill."

He nodded and began walking. "Good. We all need a good inn, a hot bath and some rest."

They trudged over the hill silently and the city gates came to view. It was not such a small city as Alistair had thought and from a distance looked larger than Denerim. He gazed down at Chantalle, his features gentle and tender for a moment.

Leonie had her lips pressed into a thin line all the way. She did not utter a single word at what she had witnessed on the battlefield. Her eyes were darker than usual as they walked right up to the gates.

She began talking in Orlesian to the guards posted there, and they opened the gates immediately. Once inside, she turned to Alistair.

"Follow me, we will take you to an inn that gives us discounts because we are wardens."

Alistair smiled back at her gratefully, and she dimpled at him. He barely had time to take in the sights and smells of the city as he was too preoccupied with the slight figure he was carrying in his arms.

Once they arrived at the inn and had secured rooms and ordered baths, Alistair asked Anders to come with him. They arrived in Chantalle's room and Anders woke her up. Alistair quickly put her back on the floor.

"What? Where am I?" She was blushing, as she had woken up in Alistair's arms, and clearly had no memory of having gotten there for a start.

"Shhh," Alistair shushed her softly. "It's all right. You collapsed after the battle and...um...were unconscious so we...I carried you here. We're in Montsimmard."

"Collapsed? I don't understand," her delicate face was now burning a bright red and Anders smiled and answered before Alistair could.

"We were ambushed by a large group of darkspawn. You broke down and started screaming when it was all over. Then you were, ah, rendered unconscious."

"Oh! I remember now," her blush deepened. "I am sorry to have caused you so much trouble, Commander."

"Alistair."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Alistair," he smiled down at her. "I think you can call me that, at least when we are alone, or with Anders. I did just carry you all the way to the inn here."

"Oh, all...right..Alistair," she said, and even though she stressed the last syllable like Leonie had, Alistair felt like it was Andraste herself who was saying his name.

"Thank you - Ma seranas. I appreciate your help," she said smiling.

There was a knock on the door and three servants walked in carrying pails of hot water for her bath. Alistair and Anders said goodbye to Chantalle, telling her that they would all meet downstairs for a hot meal before retiring for the evening, once all of them had had their baths.

Chantalle nodded.

"I will be there...Com- Alistair."

He left the room grinning like a fool and not even Anders could bring himself to tease him after that.

...

They were sitting in the dining room, waiting for dinner. Chantalle had not yet come down, and Alistair kept glancing at the stairs from time to time.

Leonie was flirting with him and Anders at the same time. Alistair didn't even care. He didn't want any further contact with her as far as he was concerned. The magic had been broken and the moment had passed. However, Leonie seemed to be set on having Alistair, and was not giving up on him. For a moment she reminded him of a certain Antivan assassin who had pursued him while they were running around trying to secure aid for the Blight. She certainly was as relentless as he was.

Then, without warning, something happened that shocked him. Leonie was holding onto a cup of hot tea and bumped into the table. It sent the cup and its contents directly onto Alistair's lap. He howled in pain as he stood up, grabbing the nearest napkin and started to brush at the hot liquid frantically, trying to stop it from burning him any further. Leonie quickly stood up as well, and began to wipe where the tea had fallen while she babbled excuses and begged for forgiveness. She then slid over closer to him, and her hand rested on his throbbing member while her lips rested on the corner of his mouth.

And Chantalle made her appearance in the room.

Alistair saw her first, he was facing the stairs. His eyes widened and he stiffened.

Chantalle's cheeks immediately turned pink, but she said nothing and slid onto a chair next to Anders.

Alistair broke away and swallowed. He gave her a weak grin, while Anders snickered audibly as he applied healing magic on Alistair.

Then they all began talking at once, overlooking the entire incident. For the remainder of the evening, Alistair sat and glanced at Chantalle sheepishly, while she avoided his eyes, and Leonie continued to bat eyelashes and flash dimples at everyone, Alistair and Anders especially.

"More _hot_ tea, Commander?" Anders smirked.

Alistair felt the blush reach his ears and scowled at him, chancing another look at Chantalle. She was sipping tea and looking at Fernan, actually talking to him. Did she just smile at him?

Suddenly Alistair felt like he wanted to stab Fernan repeatedly, but got a grip on himself and shook the feeling away.

_Maker's breath! Just when did life start getting so damned hard and complicated? _

...

He did not bother to write in his journal. He had a lot of difficulty putting his thoughts in order that night. He didn't understand why he was feeling all these things, and it made his head hurt.

There was a knock on the door and he sighed and shuffled to it, his head spinning.

Anders stood there, a wide smile on his face.

Alistair groaned. "Anders, I _really_ am _not_ in the mood for this," he began.

"Oh, come on now! I haven't even started talking and already you are acting like I carry the plague!"

"Come in, I suppose. I hope I don't regret this, however," Anders stepped in and Alistair closed the door. He sat down on a chair in the room and gestured to the only other chair, which Anders promptly took.

"Alistair, you have a problem." Anders said cheerfully.

Alistair sighed. "Really? What would give you _that_ idea, I wonder?"

"There is no need for sarcasm. I happen to be here to help you out," Anders replied, his grin deepening.

"This should be good," Alistair replied wryly.

"Fine, be that way! I'll not help you, then!" Anders answered dramatically and Alistair sighed.

"All right, all right. What is your plan?"

"I am asking Leonie over to my room tonight. She will be distracted and won't bother you," Anders smiled devilishly.

Alistair burst out laughing.

"Who is the innocent boy now, I wonder? Do you really think that would stop her? That woman is unstoppable when it comes to- you know, um...sex!"

"But she won't bother you tonight," came Anders's reply.

"True," Alistair answered thoughtfully.

There was a knock on the door. They stared at each other for a few minutes.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Alistair asked nervously.

"It's _your_ room!"

"Fuck!" Alistair cursed and stood up.

Leonie stood there dressed in a beautiful silken shift which made her gorgeous breasts stand out, her nipples nearly bursting through the fabric.

"Mon cher," she crooned and pushed him back, closing the door behind her. Then she saw Anders.

"Ah! A ménage à trois," she muttered under her breath, her eyelashes fluttering.

...

Alistair had no idea what she meant, but it set off alarm bells in his head, and his arousal was already embarrassing him greatly. To his credit, he stood his ground.

"I must ask you to leave. I have...ah...business to attend to. We are...ah, in the middle of a serious meeting."

"Truly?" She purred at them.

Anders made a strangled noise not daring to get up, without showing the effect she had had on him. He was weaker than Alistair when it came to the opposite sex, and had no desire of sharing her either but could not move at the moment.

"Just let's go to my room," he smiled weakly from the safety of his chair.

"But I am right where I want to be, mon cher," she answered Anders, while standing close to Alistair, and breathing into his ear, "I want you both."

Alistair jumped back, his eyes popping out of his head.

"Certainly not! Please leave," he managed to squeak out.

"Are you sure, mon cher?" She whispered. Then she laughed. "You Fereldens are so _restrained _and-" she glanced at Anders, "_stiff_!" Anders giggled.

It took all of Alistair's self-control but he stood there and nodded firmly, not trusting his voice for the time being.

She sighed sadly and turned a coy look at Anders.

"I think it is just you and me tonight, yes?" She said, her dimples showing as she smiled prettily at him.

"Oh, yes!" Anders answered back enthusiastically, and stood up quickly, his robes slightly raised around his groin.

Alistair groaned and averted his eyes, while Anders attempted to laugh.

"I see you are all _attentive_ mon cher. Come, let us enjoy ourselves tonight!" And with that she took his hand and led him out of Alistair's room.

Alistair locked his door after they had left and quickly undressed himself and got under the cool sheets. He felt so relieved he fell asleep immediately after that.

...

They were given a tour of the city by the Orlesian wardens, and took some time to shop for things and supplies. Alistair found a piece he was interested in. It was a wooden figurine depicting a carven halla and an elven herder standing next to it. The craftsmanship was exquisite. He thought it would be something Chantalle would like.

"How much?" He asked the merchant, who scratched his head for a few moments. "Ah..." He struggled with his Orlesian, "Combien ça coûte?" He asked hopefully. The man gave him a toothy grin and scribbled the amount on a piece of parchment. Alistair nodded and handed him the money, stuffing the figurine in his pocket.

As the day wore on, Leonie talked to the captain of the city guard who explained the presence of refugees all over the city. She translated to Alistair and his party, and they all looked at each other worriedly.

"The darkspawn have attacked their villages. These are the people who escaped. They are scared and homeless, their crops have been burned to the ground."

Leonie then made a decision. "I think it is time we travelled to Val Royeaux, to get reinforcements and see what Weisshaupt has replied to our missives. This is getting very serious, gentlemen."

...

**A/N: Ah, Val Royeaux. Two people from Alistair's past make their appearance in the next chapter. A cookie for anyone who can guess who, but you must guess who _both_ of them are, or there is no cookie! LOL **


	9. Past and Present

**Thanks to jugalettePENNER, Warrose and Jinx1983 for reviewing! Love you guys! :D I also want to thank all those who favored this story and added it to your story alerts! I really appreciate it! YAY! **

**Unfortunately nobody guessed who the TWO people were. They only guessed one of them, so nobody gets a cookie. :( **

**Bioware owns! :) **

Chapter 9 - Past and Present

you've been my golden best friend  
now with post-demise at hand  
can't go to you for consolation  
cause we're off limits during this transition  
this grief overwhelms me  
it burns in my stomach  
and I can't stop bumping into things  
I thought we'd be simple together  
I thought we'd be happy together  
thought we'd be limitless together  
I thought we'd be precious together  
but I was sadly mistaken  
Simple together - Alanis Morrisette

.

.

_The darkspawn threat is worse than we previously thought and we are now in Val Foret on the way to Val Royeaux. We passed Val Fermin several days ago, now all burnt to the ground, houses abandoned, putrid corpses, which we burned so that they would not infect anyone else with the Taint. _

_This is bad. _

_I've written to Duran. Hopefully he will arrive at Val Royeaux where I told him he'd likely find me. I actually joked that as Commander I could order him to get there if he didn't do it soon. I can actually hear him yelling insults at me all the way from Orzammar right now. _

_We are hoping to get reinforcements from Weisshaupt Fortress, there are plenty of Wardens there. As for the wardens in Ferelden, there aren't very many to spare, but I have sent word for twenty more to arrive at Val Royeaux. We must get to the bottom of this and stop this at all cost, before it destroys Orlais and its neighboring countries, Ferelden included. _

_Val Foret is a nice village, but now full to the brim with refugees. People are frightened, many have lost their families, and do not know where to go. It pains me greatly, for the Blight was supposed to have ended all this. _

_Leonie is in a foul mood, but I know it's because she is frightened. We all are._

_Chantalle and I have become...closer. I don't know what she thinks most of the time. She is still much of a mystery to me, but she laughs at my stupid attempts at humor, thank the Maker! Her laughter is like sweet music to my ears. It helps to keep the fear and despair of the quest we are on away. _

_From here we'll take the Imperial Highway and then cross the valley to finally arrive at Val Royeaux. The whole trip will take approximately a week, give or take. _

_I have not given Chantalle the figurine I got her in Montsimmard. I get too nervous for that. Maker's breath! I'm twenty-four now, my birthday was two days ago. Even so, I still cannot speak about my feelings to the woman I have come to care for so deeply. _

_Where is the Commander when you need him, huh? _

...

"We traveled twice to Ferelden, north of Denerim. We were not very close to the city, but one of the city elves eventually arrived at our camp. He told us that the poverty in the alienage is terrible. That the elves are the slaves of the shemlen and abuse them. Have you ever been to the alienage, Alistair?"

They were sitting alone in the dining area of the inn, the rest having left to shop for supplies. He frowned at her question. He had felt sad after visiting the alienage and had been angry at the way elves were treated.

"Yes, during the Blight. We were able to stop something going on there that was...terrible. We helped the elves there."

Her eyes lit up at this, and his breath caught in his throat.

_By the Maker, she looks so beautiful at the moment, that I want to take her in my arms and kiss her, but-_

"I knew you would say that. I would never doubt you helped our kind," her smile deepened and her dimple winked at him playfully.

"We stopped the Tevinter Imperium from taking the elves and selling them as slaves. It was all Loghain's doing." Alistair said darkly.

"This Loghain, was a monster, was he not?" She replied, her pretty brow furrowed.

"He was. He deserved what he got in the end. For bringing so much pain and suffering to everyone. I killed him myself."

She nodded. Then after some silence, "His daughter rules Ferelden now?"

"Yes, though she isn't a bad ruler. I- well, I think she was the real ruler while King Cailan was alive."

"You are not telling me something." It was not a question, but a direct statement, and Alistair paled. He hated talking about his birthright, but he supposed that there was no harm in letting her know what had happened. He didn't want any secrets between them.

"Well, I was put forward as a candidate for the throne," he said slowly, watching her face.

There was nothing but confusion there and a bit of surprise as well.

He sighed and flung into the details. "I was King Maric's bastard son. I am the last of the Theirin line as it is. I never wanted the throne, so my friend Duran supported Anora instead, something that I have to be very, very grateful for."

"You could have been king?"

"Maker! Yes! But I am very glad I am not," he laughed nervously. This was not a conversation he enjoyed having. "Arl Eamon, the Arl of Redcliffe, took me in when I was a baby. My mother was one of the servants at his castle. King Maric made sure that I was taken care of, but I only saw him and my half-brother Cailan once, while I was at the castle."

"But you told me you had lived in the Chantry?"

"Well, yes. I was sent away to the Chantry after I turned ten. The arl had married an Orlesian noblewoman, Isolde, and she thought I was Eamon's bastard son. She convinced Eamon to send me away to the Chantry, and start my Templar training there."

"Were they...kind to you?" She seemed to be in tune with his feelings, and the question did not surprise him.

"Well, I know the arl meant to be very kind to me even though I didn't live with them at the castle. I-um-slept in the stables. But the arlessa was not."

"You slept in the stables with the animals?" She answered back her eyes wide and surprised.

"Yes, and I know what you are thinking."

"Oh? What am I thinking?" There it was, the dimple again. His eyes fixed on it as he replied.

"You're thinking it wasn't kind of him to allow that. Sleeping in the stables." His face was very close to hers. She did not look away, her breath was sweet on his lips.

"Yes, that is one of the things I am thinking," she whispered back and trembled slightly.

"And the other thing?" His voice was low, so low that she almost didn't catch what he was asking.

"I am thinking that you are..." her voice trailed off.

"...I am...?"

But he never got a chance to find out what she thought he was, for his lips finally touched hers in a chaste but tender kiss.

The kiss ended far too quickly. Alistair looked into her eyes and found himself hypnotized by them.

"Chantalle...I wanted to tell you something. I have grown to-"

But they were interrupted by Leonie's voice.

"We have to leave quickly. I just got a missive from Val Royeaux. There is someone from Weisshaupt waiting for us at the compound there. Please alert the rest when they arrive from their shopping. My men already know."

Alistair stood up and Chantalle did the same. Leonie stared at them both and turned around without saying a word, walking to her room to begin packing.

...

They immediately set off for Val Royeaux, and hardly stopped to get proper rest or sleep, so urgent were they in arriving to their destination as quickly as they could.

On the fourth day, however, they did stop to camp and get a good night's sleep, and Alistair finally found himself standing next to Chantalle hoping that he would finally have the chance to finish saying what he wanted to say when they had been interrupted at Val Foret.

"Chantalle. We can finally have a moment to speak," he smiled down at her tenderly, his eyes searching her own. What he saw there gave him the courage to continue.

Ignoring the loud beating of his heart, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. She rested her head on his chest, his heartbeat the only thing she heard which gave her a peace she had thought she would never find again.

"Chantalle, I have come to...care for you a great deal. I think it's because we've been through so much together, I don't know. Well...what I want to ask you," he paused, holding her at arm's length so that he could look into her eyes, "is if...you could ever feel the same way about me?"

"But I am an elf," she said warily. "Shemlens and elves are not the same, they are different."

"You are a wonderful person. And I respect you and care about you a great deal." There was a hint of fear in his eyes suddenly. She saw this and it made her wonder.

_What could this strong and fearless man be so afraid of? _

And then it hit her, and she nearly fell over from surprise. He was afraid of her rejection!

"Oh, Alistair. We cannot be together, yes? Even if we wanted to."

His face fell, the hope had gone from his eyes, and she could tell that he was deeply hurt.

"No, do not look away. I cannot be with you, because I cannot be with any man! I am dirty, and not fit for anyone, yes?" The tears started to fall. She did nothing to stop them. "And you are human. What if you have to rule as king someday? Where does that put us? We would have to end our relationship because I am an elf," she added sadly.

"You are not dirty!" He protested. "You are a wonderful woman and I can try to make you forget your suffering. And I will never be king! I don't want to be. Besides, Ferelden has a good, strong queen! And not to mention that I am the Warden Commander and _that_ is all I ever want to do the rest of my life."

"You do not know what the future may have in store for you, Alistair. The only thing we all know about the future is how we will die, yes?" Her voice was sad and full of longing and despair at the same time as she continued to cry quietly.

"I will not give up on you, Chantalle. You mean too much to me," he was stubborn now, as his eyes bore into hers. "Do you...I mean...can you grow to care about me at all?"

"Oh, Alistair! I care about you! I really do! But we cannot be together!"

And with that, she disentangled herself from his arms and ran into her tent, leaving him standing there alone and under the stars.

...

They came upon a large group of darkspawn two days away from Val Royeaux, and fought them bravely, even though they were outnumbered. Chantalle was a terror on the battlefield, her lithe form dancing around the darkspawn, making them growl in fury at their failed attempts to get her. She had a mad gleam in her eyes every time she managed to kill one. Alistair continued to fight as near to her as possible, his shield lashing out and saving her life more than once.

Two of Leonie's men died that day: Lernan and Axel. They held a brief funeral after the battle, and Leonie said some words in Orlesian, which they did not understand at all, but they still bowed their heads respectfully and waited till the pyre had stopped burning, before heading off to their tents for the night.

Even though they had not spoken again since that night at camp, Alistair remained by Chantalle's side, and he became even more protective of her, especially while they were fighting. They still stole glances at each other from time to time, and when did, they both blushed each time and looked away quickly.

Anders had noticed everything. He chose not to tease Alistair about it, feeling that it was too serious to joke about. He knew that something was up, but he could not place his finger on the true cause for Alistair's behavior. He seemed happy whenever she looked at him, sad and withdrawn when she did not. He would have to try to talk to him about it soon, or die trying. He honestly wanted to help his friend.

The problem was that there was no time to have a good, long talk. They were too preoccupied with the way things were panning out and they had to arrive at Val Royeaux as quickly as possible, which meant no stopping or relaxing at all. Anders did not want to talk to a stressed out Alistair.

They were extremely weary and filthy by the time Val Royeaux finally came into view and they all sighed with relief when they finally dragged their feet through the city gates.

The market square was a short distance away, where the warden compound was also located. They made their way through the crowd there, and just as they were turning a corner to head into the compound, a shrilly voice yelled from behind them.

"Alistair! Is that you?"

Alistair turned, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. A red-haired woman was practically flying to him, in her eagerness to get to him.

"Leliana!" He cried out as he held out his arms.

And the bard rushed up to him and embraced him tightly. "Oh, I almost didn't recognize you! You have long hair now!" She said as he hugged her back.

Behind them, Chantalle looked away quickly, sadness clouding her features. But she was not quick enough.

Anders had caught that look.

...

"By the Maker! I thought you were in the Deep Roads!" Alistair laughed as he embraced her again.

"Yes, I was! But Duran told me of your encounters with the broodmothers and I traveled to the Keep to see you and tell you what I learned, hoping to get a better explanation from you! You've killed many including the one that was called 'The Mother', yes? But when I arrived at the Keep, Varel told me you had travelled to Val Royeaux, so here I am! I'm glad I found you, I was afraid you'd gone somewhere else instead!"

He laughed back in reply and still keeping an arm around her, walked her over to where Anders was standing.

"Anders, this is my very good friend and ex-companion, Leliana. We travelled together while trying to put an end to the Blight. Leliana, this is Anders our favorite and most powerful mage and healer and one of my closest friends!"

"Ah, Alistair has told me a lot about you, but failed to mention how beautiful you are!" Anders said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles gently. His eyes sparkled at her, and Leliana giggled.

"And this, is the Warden Commander of Orlais, Leonie Caron," Alistair turned her to face Leonie, who was scowling.

"Oh, pleased to meet you, I think," Leliana smiled at her, chuckling under her breath.

"If you have finished your social activities, I suggest we head into the compound immediately," Leonie nodded curtly at Leliana, whose smile vanished.

Alistair shrugged and pulled her along, still visibly happy to have her there. He stood in front of Chantalle, who blinked at them both.

"This beautiful lady before you is one of the best fighters we have at the moment. Her name is Chantalle, and she was recently recruited into the order, and is a warden as well. She is...special to me." He continued, still taking his time.

Leonie was now tapping her foot impatiently as he waited for him.

"I am pleased to meet you," Chantalle began, and Leliana swept her into her arms, and hugged her. She stood there and patted her back after a while.

"It's good to meet you too! Alistair is a very dear friend, he is the kindest gentleman in all of Thedas!" She beamed at him.

He blushed. From behind him Leonie cleared her throat angrily.

"All right, Leonie, I get it! Let's move it then! We can talk later!" Alistair said hurriedly and they scrambled after Leonie and into the warden compound.

They stood in the courtyard where someone spoke to Leonie in Orlesian, but before he could finish, an elderly elven mage, walked quickly up to Leonie.

"This is the messenger from Weisshaupt, Alistair," Leonie said in a low voice so that only he could hear her, glancing at the elven mage. Her hair was brown, and had speckles of grey here and there in it, and was up in a bun at the back of her head. Her eyes were a warm golden brown as she gazed at Leonie, with an expression of both humor and seriousness in them. She looked at the rest inquisitively and waited for Leonie to greet her, and only when she had, she spoke, answering her in Ferelden.

"It is a pleasure to finally see you have arrived, Commander. I come from Weisshaupt bringing news that should be both interesting and shocking to you."

"I am Leonie Caron. And this man beside me is Alistair Theirin, the Warden Commander of Ferelden."

The woman's eyes widened with shock as she stared at Alistair, who blinked at her benignly, slightly nonplussed at the look on her face. She quickly regained her composure and smiled brightly.

"I am Fiona," she said simply.

...

**A/N: Bet you didn't see **_**that **_**coming, did you? *cackles* **


	10. Unexpected Turn Of Events

**Thank you Jinx1983, Warrose and jugalettePENNER for your awesome reviews. **

**Fiona plays an important part in this fic. I don't want to spoil "The Calling" for you guys and I have never read it myself, but have read some people's comments on it. This will be based on it, but if my writing seems odd, it's because I want things to **_**slightly**_** differ from the novel. So much of what Fiona will say to her son in later chapters is mostly the way I see it. I felt I had to write this because the idea of Alistair having an elven mother falls nicely into this fic and is important for the plot. You'll see why later on. **

**As to the disclaimer, I don't own anything. I just play around with the characters! :D **

Chapter 10 - Unexpected Turn of Events

_It's complicated, it always is  
That's just the way it goes  
Feels like I've been waiting so long for this  
I wonder if it shows  
And under water now I can breathe  
It never felt so good  
Cause I can feel it coming over me  
I wouldn't stop it if I could  
When love takes over yeah  
You know you can't deny  
When love takes over yeah  
'Cause something's here tonight  
Kelly Rowland - When love takes over_

_._

_._

"It is nice to meet you Fiona," Leonie said as she gave the woman a smile. "You are a mage, are you not?"

"Yes, I am." Pausing for only a few minutes, she looked directly into Leonie's eyes and said, "I'm afraid the news I bring may not be the news you wish for, Commander. I must see you both in private."

"Yes, of course," Alistair nodded. Leonie led the way to their office. Once there, she sat at her desk, while Alistair and Fiona took the only other two chairs in the room. For some reason, Fiona could not take her eyes off Alistair. It made him uncomfortable and he fidgeted in his seat.

"Please, tell us what you have to say," Leonie smiled at her.

"The darkspawn that attacked you are also attacking Weisshaupt. This is not an easy thing to say, but there may not be any reinforcements coming from Weisshaupt any time soon."

Leonie's face fell. "How is this possible? The Blight ended two years ago. Why is this happening?"

"We only know what one surviving warden told us. There was a scouting group of wardens not far from the fortress, when they were attacked by darkspawn. Two of them were dragged underground. The leader talked to the two men."

"What did he say?" Alistair leaned forward eagerly, awaiting her reply. She smiled at him before she continued.

"The talking darkspawn said they were answering orders from an intelligent darkspawn they call the 'General'. He told them to give him what they wanted. When one of the wardens asked what it was that they wanted, the darkspawn slit his throat in front of the other man. They let the surviving warden escape because they wanted him to tell the First Warden this."

"I don't understand. What could they possibly want?" Alistair frowned.

"We don't know, but something must be done to discover what it is they want," Fiona replied her brow furrowed. "We are clearly running out of time."

"How is it that they sent you? Aren't you needed at Weisshaupt?" Leonie asked.

"They sent me because I was the only one that could be spared."

"You are lying. There is another reason. Something you are not telling us." Leonie's eyes narrowed.

The mage looked at her, anger flashing in her brown eyes briefly. After a moment she came to grips with herself and decided to come clean.

"You are right. The taint in me, it has all but disappeared. As such, I am not really a valuable asset to them. I met the Architect many years ago and the First Warden thinks this has something to do with him. I stayed at Weisshaupt to study and learn about the Architect as much as I could. I was convinced he would reappear in time. As the threat is greater here in Orlais, the First Warden thought that it would be best for me to travel here."

"You met the Architect?" Alistair asked interestedly.

"Yes, I did. I was...travelling with other Wardens and...a friend." Her eyes had a faraway look. "we were, helping...this friend. I can only say that I have never seen a creature so foul and amoral as the Architect."

"I agree," Alistair said quietly.

"You killed him Alistair, didn't you?" Leonie asked, remembering one of their conversations they had had when they first met.

"Yes, I did. I killed him and the Mother."

Fiona turned to him, there was admiration shining in her eyes, and something that surprised Alistair greatly. How could she care for him when she had only met him?

"We should think about what we must do. I want to apologize Fiona, we need to get cleaned up and have something to eat. We have been travelling and ran into darkspawn ourselves. I will see to it that someone shows you to your room. We will talk about this again tomorrow," Leonie smiled.

"Of course. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness," Fiona murmured and they all stood up and left the room.

"Commander Alistair," Fiona looked up at him and he stopped, waiting for her to speak. "I would like to talk to you again, later. It is not urgent, but it would be nice for us to speak. We need to compare notes."

"Of course," Alistair smiled down at her. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk later. Now if you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave. My lady," he bowed graciously and left her. Fiona watched him disappear down a corridor and sighed. She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall and turned to another warden who told her he would show her the way to her room.

...

Alistair finished bathing and dressed in a simple white tunic and leather trousers, leaving his room to wander around. He didn't know where the dining area was. The Orlesian compound was very large, and soon, to his dismay, he discovered he was lost.

"Great. Now all I need is to end up somewhere, without any pants," he mused to himself.

He heard voices coming from somewhere up ahead. One of them was a voice he knew well. He walked towards the voices, until he was finally standing in front of her. She was talking to Fernan, and for a moment he felt a pang of jealousy.

"Chantalle, Fernan, it's good to meet you both," he sounded as relieved as he felt. He was not lost anymore and that was good enough for him.

"Commander!" Fernan grinned. "You seem relieved to see us."

"I- uh- got lost," Alistair finally admitted sheepishly. A giggle actually escaped Chantalle's lips and he found himself grinning back at her, his heart racing. She had never before giggled at anything he said. He found himself wishing to get lost more often in the future if only to have her giggle like she just had.

"We're also lost. We thought that maybe we should just walk on. That way we may get somewhere we actually recognize," she chuckled. Her eyes were twinkling and his heart melted.

_Maker, he really was falling for her! _

They turned a corner in the hallway, then another one, and suddenly Alistair's mouth parted slightly.

"I can't believe this! We've gone in circles. That," he pointed at a door on their right, "is definitely my room."

He opened the door, and sure enough, his pack was right where he had left it.

"Oh, well. I have to get something out of my pack anyway. I'll be right back."

"Oh, we aren't going anywhere, Commander. We don't know where to go, anyway!" Fernan announced cheerfully.

He rushed ahead, and they stood at the doorway, smiling. His hands quickly searched his pack until he found something which he put into his pocket. Then he went back to where they were standing.

"Oh, there you are!" Leonie called out to them. "We are all waiting in the dining area. Did you get lost or what?"

They looked at each other guiltily and Leonie rolled her eyes.

...

The meal was a happy one. Nobody had yet heard anything that Fiona had said, so they were stress-free. Anders spent most of his time and attention divided between Fiona and Leonie, possibly because Leonie was sitting on his right and Fiona on his left. Alistair smiled as he watched the mage in animated conversation.

Once it was over, Leonie took them on a tour of the compound. It was no wonder that they had gotten lost. The compound had once been a huge château that belonged to a very wealthy nobleman who had died without an heir. He had greatly admired the Grey Wardens and had left written instructions to give them the castle upon his death.

Leonie's voice droned on explaining other things about the compound as she led them around everywhere and soon reached the dungeons. They obviously had not been used in a long time and dust stirred under their footsteps as they walked along the stone floor.

Leonie then led them up to the main floor again and into one of the courtyards where they sparred daily.

She said that they would be sparring again tomorrow, to keep them on their toes. Everyone smiled at this. Leliana was invited to stay at the compound at Alistair's insistence and he smiled at his friend once Leonie asked one of her wardens to show her the way to her room. She then bade them a good night and left, Anders following her closely behind.

Alistair turned to Chantalle, his heart thumping in his chest wildly.

"Could we walk for a moment? That is if...ah...you're not too tired." He looked up at her hoping she'd say yes.

Her resolve vanished at the look she saw on his face and her heart skipped a beat. She could no longer deny it. She was falling in love with this kind shemlen, who had turned her world completely upside down.

They walked to a stone bench on the far side of the sparring area and sat down. For a moment neither of them spoke, and they both studied the stone ground, blushing.

_Maker's breath! How do I talk to her without her running away again?_

Alistair broke into a sweat.

_You idiot! Give her the figurine! _

Ah! He started to smile and turned to her, momentarily lost in her eyes, which held his warmly.

"Chantalle..." he began, his voice barely audible. He was sure that his heart was to blame. It was beating so loudly he was certain she could hear it. And the rest of the people in the compound for that matter.

"Yes?" A whisper back, and he could not take it any longer. His lips descended on hers and they kissed. She did not pull away, but kissed him back. He marveled at this, and his arms went around her, one of his hands tenderly holding the nape of her neck, buried in her blonde hair and the other one on her back.

Her lips parted, and his tongue darted forward slowly, and stopped as if asking permission. Her reply to this was that her own tongue met his, and their kiss got deeper. A moan escaped her lips and the sparks that tingled in his stomach quickly traveled to his groin. He broke away from the kiss, and his eyes met hers. She still had hers closed and opened them, looking into his eyes with a starry expression.

His heart did a summersault.

"Alistair, I-"

"Shhh. No, don't talk. I know you don't want us to be together, but I can't stay apart from you, Chantalle. I care too much for you. Please don't push me away again."

"Oh, that is not what I was going to say," she smiled, the pinkness on her cheeks made her so very appealing to him then.

"Oh," he could not say anything else, he just looked at her rosy lips and pink cheeks and all other thoughts vanished from his head.

"I- just wanted to tell you that, I can't be apart from you either. I still feel dirty, but I cannot deny what I feel for you any longer, Alistair."

"No. Feeling dirty is bad. I won't let you. I will try to help you overcome that."

She stood up and he followed suit.

"I think we should go now. There is much to do tomorrow, yes?"

He smiled and his hand went into his pocket.

"Chantalle, there is something I wanted to give you. I got it for you when we were in Montsimmard. When I saw it, it reminded me of you and...well..." He took her hand, and placed the figurine onto her palm.

Her eyes widened as she took in the details of the craftsmanship, and tears glistened in them.

"Alistair. This is...oh! This figurine is made of ironbark! I'm sure it belonged to one of my clan! Oh this means so much to me! Ma serannas. Thank you so much!"

She flung herself into his arms, her hands around his neck, still holding the figurine in one of her hands and kissed him, fully and passionately on his lips.

Alistair pulled her closely and kissed her back and put all his love and tenderness into the kiss.

For at that moment he knew.

He had fallen head over heels for her, and he was in love. He could not deny it any longer.

And there never was anyone happier than him at that moment.

Because she loved him back.

...

**A/N: Just a moment...AWWWWWWWWWW, Alistair! **

**Ok, now I can say what I want to say. LOL! This chapter reveals a part of the darkspawn threat. There is another part to be revealed later on in future chapters. **

**PLEASE read and review if you can! I will give out cookies to whoever reviews! :P **


	11. Course of Action

**Thank you so much Jinx1983, Warrose and jugalettePENNER for your reviews! They mean so much to me! :) You ALL get cookies! YAY! **

**This chapter mainly deals with all things darkspawn and sprinkles of romance here and there. ;) **

**Bioware STILL owns! :D **

Chapter 11 - Course of Action

_I open up my head  
Inside I find another person's mind  
I'm gonna take this chance I've got  
I'm underlying as we speak  
Hiding my face among the weak  
Some say the day is on the way  
Into the wild  
On with the mission  
Over the hill  
Come here with me  
Into the wild_

_The Mission - 30 seconds to mars_

_._

_.  
_

The following morning they all met at the mess hall of the compound, called 'the dining area' by Leonie and discussed different measures that should be taken and the best course of action. They did not have any immediate solutions and after hours of deliberating decided to wait for the reinforcements to arrive from Ferelden and the wardens in the Free Marshes before setting out to scout the areas.

Alistair had proposed forming groups to visit the neighboring villages. He wanted to map the tunnels, if possible, to see what they were up against. While the rest agreed that his plan was a good one, they still stressed the importance of having more wardens at their disposal. In the end it was decided that they could scout the immediate areas for the time being until the reinforcements arrived.

Alistair frowned. Something told him that they should move out to the remoter areas. It was crucial not to leave the people to the mercy of the darkspawn. This became a heated discussion between Leonie and him, and lasted for a while.

Finally she relented, throwing up her hands in despair.

"Bien! I will have all my wardens here tomorrow. You shall speak to them then and pick out groups to help you. If you are going to visit these villages, then you should make preparations and get supplies."

"I agree and thanks for your support. If we don't do something, then the whole nation will succumb under this threat, and it will spread," Alistair said grimly, crossing his arms.

They had a meal afterwards and he asked Chantalle to accompany him to the market square to get some supplies.

Fiona stopped them on their way out. "If we are to compare notes, I suggest that we do so soon. It seems that you will be leaving for the countryside in a short time, and I may have some information that is crucial to you," she said. "You can bring Chantalle, what we are going to talk about is warden business and I have heard that she is a very good warden." Chantalle smiled at her when she heard this, and Fiona smiled back.

"Yes, my lady, we'll make our way to your room as soon as we get back," Alistair promised.

"Please, Commander. Call me Fiona, for that is my name." She smiled at him tenderly.

"Very well. Fiona." He bowed and he and Chantalle left the compound.

There were a great deal of refugees in the market square, and the crowds had grown in number from one day to the next. They made their way around the place, trying to get the best deals. Alistair smiled as Chantalle haggled with each and every merchant, her Orlesian smooth and flawless.

Soon, Alistair was carrying a number of packages. Satisfied with their purchases, they made their way back to the compound, stopping only to put the packages in his room.

They found Fiona in her room. The room was large and had a sitting room, with comfortable cushioned chairs and a table. Alistair placed his journals on the table and some maps. Fiona had some journals as well.

"Now, Commander. Let me tell you a story. The Grey Wardens met the Architect a little over twenty-five years ago and he tried to convince the Wardens that the best route to take was to join him, in order to stop future Blights."

"That is exactly what he told me. He said he needed the blood of Grey Wardens. He would administer this blood to-"

"The darkspawn?" Fiona interrupted.

"Yes. If Grey Warden blood were administered to the darkspawn, according to him, it would break the connection between the darkspawn and the Old Gods, therefore ending all possible future Blights. But I did discover that it was his fault that the Blight started. He tried to make Urthemiel a disciple and his 'plan' failed, thus the archdemon we defeated came to be."

They continued to talk for another hour, then fell into a much more comfortable conversation when Alistair began to talk about how they had run around Ferelden gathering the army to end the Blight. He did not refer to Morrigan but he did think about her and the ritual that had spared their lives. He still had trouble believing that Duran had actually gone through the Ritual with Morrigan.

"Well, we'd best head to the 'dining area', it's almost time for dinner." He grinned at Fiona. "I do hope they bring out the cheese. I have the sneaking suspicion that Leonie is trying to keep all the cheese from me, which would be bad."

"You can't blame her. If you get your hands on it, you would deplete their cheese stock completely!" Chantalle shot back, her eyes twinkling.

"Ah, King Maric also loved cheese," Fiona said, a dreamy look on her face.

Alistair spun around to face her. He blinked.

"You...knew King Maric?" He swallowed thickly.

"Yes, I did. You look a lot like him, you know," she said softly.

"I- I think we should be going," he replied quickly and turned back to Chantalle, his face grim. "We'll speak later." He practically fled from the room.

"What was that all about? Do you not wish to know about your father?" Chantalle asked him, when they were out of the room.

"No. No, I don't. He didn't want to know about me, did he? So why should I want to know about him?"

And with those words, he took her hand in his and led her to the dining area.

...

Anders met Alistair on the way to his room.

"I want to go with you when you start scouting tomorrow. I want to be in your group."

Alistair grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Anders."

"Good. I was beginning to think you'd leave me with Leonie," he sighed.

Alistair's eyebrows shot right up to his hairline. "What? I thought you adored the ground she walks on? What happened? Lover's quarrel?" He grinned.

"Shut up Alistair, I'm really not in the mood to talk right now," Anders warned darkly.

"Oooh! It must have been really bad, then. All right, all right. Don't look at me like that! I won't tease you again, promise."

"I just don't want to talk about it, all right?"

"No worries. But if you want my advice, you'd best start running..."

"What?" Anders managed to get out.

"She's heading directly towards us right now..."

Anders paled and gave a little jump and fled the opposite direction. He did not stop to even look back.

Leonie stalked by Alistair, giving him a smoldering glare and Alistair laughed softly as he went into his room.

...

_I'll have five groups of four wardens to scout the immediate areas tomorrow, though I would like to set out further, it's a start at least._

_Fernan, Chantalle and Anders will go with me. Oghren and Marcus will stay behind for now. _

_I have the feeling that this is the only way we'll get a glimpse on what they are planning to do, though I really wish we were going into the tunnels. _

_The answer for us is probably underground. _

_Chantalle and I have grown even closer. I will ask her to marry me once this is over. She still can't get over what happened to her, but she is opening up to me and trusting me more each day. I love her dearly and will do the best I can to erase all the pain from her yet. _

_I wish Duran were here already. Leonie is a great warden, but she is testy and very aggressive. She wants her way all the time, and deciding on something can turn into a very unpleasant affair with her. _

He sighed and paused for a moment. His face, always an open book, now showed a mixture of confusion and sadness in it.

_Fiona told me what she knew about the Architect today. She revealed that she knew Maric as well. I didn't want to listen to anything else, and left the room. I really don't want to know about him. Why should I care about me if he abandoned me when I was but a baby? _

He sighed, put away his quill and journal and head to bed, finally slipping into the cool sheets.

The last thought on his mind was Chantalle and he smiled before drifting to sleep.

...

They were ambushed by a group of darkspawn when they arrived at one of the neighboring villages.

Alistair fought at Chantalle's side, and the rest followed orders as they fell into their usual fighting tactics.

There was a problem this time.

It was as if the darkspawn already knew their movements, and anticipated each and every tactic they went through. Alistair frowned as this thought entered his brain. He was distracted for a moment as he used holy smite on an emissary and did not see a hurlock approaching them from behind. Chantalle turned and plunged her sword into the hurlock, but not before he had sliced into her leg.

Alistair cursed and called for Anders who immediately started to heal Chantalle.

They burned the bodies and continued their march into the village, which was completely abandoned. Survivors were probably already at Val Royeaux. They made their way through the abandoned little houses and stopped at the only inn in the village where they set their things down. They would eat and rest for a while before looking around some more. Alistair wanted to see where the darkspawn had come from and would take some parchment with him to start mapping the area.

They ate and drank some water, and then continued their scouting. They found the hole a few yards away from the last farmhouse. Alistair scribbled on the parchment as the rest waited gazing into the darkness below.

"Well, we're done here. I suggest we head back and call it a night." He swung a protective arm over Chantalle and they went back to the inn, and got their bedrolls out for the night.

...

"You miss them, don't you?" He whispered to her, his arms still around her as they lay on their bedrolls side by side.

She nodded, looking deeply into his eyes.

"You couldn't have prevented their deaths. It was the first time you set your eyes on the creatures, and it was too much for you to handle. The first time I saw darkspawn, I was terrified and just stood there, rooted to the spot."

She did not reply, but her hand went to his cheek and caressed it briefly, then fell back onto the bedroll.

He took her hand and kissed her palm, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"You are so good to me," she murmured, her fingers tracing his lips.

He pulled her closer and kissed her, and she trembled slightly in his arms.

"I don't want to rush things, even though I desire you, my love."

"What did you call me?" She smiled.

"My love," He repeated kissing her cheek and smiling.

Her eyes had a dreamy expression and she sighed.

"You are my love, you know. I love you with all my heart, Chantalle. Now close your eyes and let's get some rest."

Silence and then...

"I love you too, Alistair."

...

Several days later, they had met with the other four groups. Each of the leaders handed their parchment to Alistair who studied them. They had discovered five holes outside each of the villages they had visited. He now had detailed maps of the area surrounding Val Royeaux.

"Most excellent work," he smiled at everyone, while Chantalle translated everything into Orlesian. "We should get back to Val Royeaux now, and notify Leonie of our next course of action."

"Anders, a word with you please?"

"Yes, Commander," Anders said.

"You are unusually quiet. Is there anything I can do to help you?" He asked, looking at his friend with concern.

Anders sighed. "I just can't get her off me, Alistair. She's become obsessed and I don't really want to continue the relationship with her. You know me, I don't like to be tied down to anyone, or anywhere, for that matter."

"Yes, you escaped from the circle tower seven times after all," he smiled.

Anders laughed. "I can't settle down right now. Not will all this happening. And, I have to be available for the rest of the ladies," he smirked wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Alistair burst out laughing. "Ah, yes! The ladies would be devastated if they knew they were losing Anders."

He chuckled. "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten that!"

"Well, as long as you keep your hands off my lady, then all is well," Alistair grinned lopsidedly as he turned to rejoin Chantalle.

...

They met everyone in the main hall of the compound and Alistair stressed the fact that these holes that led underground were probably all over Orlais by now. He didn't know how to win the argument with the growing disapproval from Leonie, but he knew that if he wanted a chance to try what he was thinking now, he would have to appeal to her love of the Grey Wardens and her desire to help everyone and save lives.

"Look, Leonie, we have to do something about this. The situation is dire now, but it will get worse. Do you want more of your people to die?"

"No, Alistair, you know I do not wish that," she frowned. "But to embark on a mission far away from Val Royeaux without proper backup is suicide. I will not let you go to your death."

"It's the only thing we can do right now. This mission would take weeks alone, and should give the reinforcements plenty of time to arrive here and regroup," Alistair shrugged.

Leonie realized there was no keeping him away from this, so she finally gave her consent.

"Very well. What is it that you have planned?"

"The only reasonable course of action that must be taken, my dear Commander," he grinned. "We shall descend into the tunnels and find out who is leading them once and for all."


	12. Down the Hole and into the Deep

**Thank you so much Virginia Gale, Warrose (loved the details on The Calling, too! haha), and Jinx1983 for your awesome reviews! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 12 - Down the Hole and into the Deep

_I remember what you wore on the first day_

_You came into my life and I thought_

_"Hey, you know, this could be something"_

_'Cause everything you do and words you say_

_You know that it all takes my breath away_

_And now I'm left with nothing_

_So maybe it's true_

_That I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time_

_To figure out the rest of my life_

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking two is better than one_

_Two is better than one - Boys like Girls_

_._

_._

They were about to leave, when Fiona stopped them.

"Commander," she called out. Alistair paused and turned to look at her, a questioning stare in his eyes.

"What is it Fiona?"

"I am going with you." It was not a question, nor it was a request. It was a statement.

Alistair shook his head, so violently that he was surprised at his own reaction.

"No," he added, just to get things straight, but Fiona was looking at him with grim determination in her eyes, and anger.

_Wait! Was that anger?_ He was instantly amused at the look.

Fiona caught his amusement and her eyes flashed up at him.

"You must think for a moment what you are up against. I am a mage. My magic will be _exceedingly_ useful," she said, standing defiantly before him, her eyes still flashing darkly at him.

"I don't want to put you through an unnecessary risk," he began, but clamped his mouth shut when she scoffed, interrupting him. He tried again and this time said, "We already have a mage in the group," nodding towards where Anders was standing, who had a maddening grin plastered on his face.

"Risk? I decide where, when and why I want to put myself at a risk. All of you are taking this risk. And this is _**my **_decision to make. You have _no_ say in the matter. I have made up my mind, and if you still say no, I will follow you, whether you like it or not," she crossed her arms in front of her chest, which was now heaving, anger exuding off her, so much so, that Alistair could taste it.

He finally saw that she would never falter, so after a few moments of agonizing silence, in which Anders chuckled and looked up at the ceiling innocently when Alistair glared at him, he reluctantly included her in the group.

The group.

There were only eight of them in the group. Well, nine now, if you counted Fiona.

_Nine of them against a whole army of darkspawn. Well, he could be exaggerating, maybe there wasn't a whole army down there in the tunnels after all..._

So he nodded at Fiona and said, "Welcome then. I do advise you to stay close to us, and to Anders. You said you no longer carry the taint, so you might not feel them as we do. Therefore, you have to-"

"I know what I have to do," she snapped as she moved closer, revealing a pack strapped on her back under her staff.

"Well, then," Alistair smiled. "Let's get a move on, shall we?"

And they all silently followed him out of the compound.

...

They arrived at a village north of Val Royeaux later that evening, when the sun was setting. They had travelled quickly and Alistair was in high spirits, in spite of passing the occasional burnt down farmhouse along the way. The grass was green where they stopped, and there was a brook not far, which made a lovely sound as it bubbled happily along its path.

He breathed in the woodsy smell of the nearby forest, and put up his tent, the rest already falling into their usual tasks of setting up camp as well.

"Fernan," he called, and the young rogue warden was instantly at his side. "Scout the area, see if you can find anything amiss." He nodded and vanished.

Alistair looked around and noticed that Chantalle had already put up her tent, and was busy getting some things out of her pack. He turned to Fiona and saw that she was fuming beside her tent, clearly unable to set it up properly. He grinned and walked over to where she was.

"I'll get that," he said quietly and proceeded to set the tent up with great ease. When he was done, he turned to look at her and gave her a lopsided smile.

Her eyes softened at him and she smiled. "Thanks, Commander."

"That's what I'm here for. Well, this and the witty one-liners," he said cheerfully and walked off to the center of the camp, where Marcus had already started to set up logs to build a fire. Anders flashed a firebolt at it, instantly setting the logs aflame.

"I'm putting a charm on the fire, so that it burns steadily and the logs don't burn out, as usual," Anders said as he flicked his hand forward. "If anyone is interested in taking baths, I can heat a portion of the brook up for you to bathe, so you'd better raise your hands and stand in line," he shouted at the rest, looking very smug.

"Show off," Alistair muttered under his breath and smiled at Chantalle who was now slipping her hand in his. He pulled her close and kissed her gently and then felt a pair of eyes staring at them, so he turned. Fiona was looking at them intensely.

"What's up with her?" He gestured, his eyes not leaving Chantalle's face.

"I don't know, but she seems to look at you a lot," Chantalle replied thoughtfully. Fiona noticed and turned to her pack immediately, apparently looking for something.

"You noticed too, huh?" Alistair said, bending down and kissing the top of her head. Her hair smelled of flowers and he breathed in her scent, holding her closer.

Fernan appeared beside them, startling Alistair, who tightened his arms around Chantalle, causing her to gasp.

"Sorry, love," he murmured, and turned to Fernan. "You always startle me. Can't you say something first, or whistle? Never mind," he added hastily when he saw that Fernan was about to reply. He didn't want to hurt his feelings. "Did you discover anything at all?"

"No, Commander. All is clear, though the forest is kind of dense, there may be something around the trees, but I could sense no darkspawn."

"That doesn't mean they aren't around. They move underground, but we should be able to sense them if they venture above. Unless they decide to drug us again," he shuddered slightly as he remembered the night they had managed to do that and Teslin had died. "We must be especially vigilant now and on our toes at all times."

Fernan nodded and they all gathered around the fire, Alistair still holding Chantalle close. They all knew about their relationship, so it was natural to see Alistair's arm over her shoulders in a protective gesture.

"All right. Let's decide who is doing the cooking," Alistair said and all of them shuddered, visibly dreading what was to come. Nobody raised a hand to volunteer anything, so after a while Alistair sighed.

"Wait! I can cook," Chantalle said in a loud voice.

All of them gave a sigh of relief.

Fiona suddenly said that she would help her, and the two women went to the brook to gather water in order to cook the meal. Leliana looked after them thoughtfully. There was something about this Fiona that she could not put her finger on. She sighed.

Whatever it was, she hoped she would find out soon, because she didn't like secrets at all.

...

All of them had eaten and had bathed in the stream, and were just sitting by the fire relaxing, telling stories. Alistair and Chantalle moved away and left them, strolling quietly along the perimeter of the camp, until they reached the beginning of the tree line.

She leaned against a tree, and sighed. She loved the forest, there was no other place she would rather be.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it? Hard to believe that there is a darkspawn threat on a night like this." Alistair's voice cut through her thoughts and she smiled up at him.

He smiled back and bent down to kiss her lips gently, but she opened her lips and her tongue darted forward, brushing against his lips. The intensity of his reply surprised him, for he opened his lips and his tongue went forward boldly, and the kiss turned into a very passionate one.

His hands were lightly resting on her shoulders, and he pulled her closer. She gave a little gasp into his mouth which drove him crazy.

"My love," he crooned, "we have to stop, or I won't be able to control myself."

She stiffened slightly, and pulled away enough to gaze into his eyes. There was such love and adoration in his look that she melted.

How could she have thought, even for the tiniest of moments, that he would ever give in to his desire? Not while he looked at her like that. She was sure then that he would never do anything to hurt her.

"Alistair," she whispered. "I understand you want to-"

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to," he whispered back. "I can't do something you are afraid of, my love. And I won't. Not until you are ready and you _want_ to."

"Do you know...what happened?" She asked, her eyes holding his, her question burning him for he didn't want to tell her what he knew, but he didn't want to lie anyway. So he didn't answer, choosing only to kiss her tenderly.

"It's all right," she said. "I imagine Anders told you what my injuries were, he healed me after all."

She was so clever. He should have known he couldn't hide anything from her. He sighed audibly and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I know enough to want to kill them all over again. To feel that I have failed you terribly," he said in an agonized whisper, as his forehead touched hers, his eyes closed.

"You think you have failed me? Why?" She said, her eyes revealing a great deal of surprise.

"I should have gone into the tunnels immediately. I should have found you earlier!" He exclaimed, his anguish evident.

"But this wasn't your fault! I should have fought back, and helped my family, but I've finally realized that I couldn't! I was in shock! You shouldn't blame yourself for something that was out of your hands, Alistair. What happened was not your fault at all. It was nobody's fault. It just happened," she ended miserably, looking down.

"My love, it will be all right, it can only get better," he said softly, putting his hand under her chin and lifting her face up gently. Her eyes and his locked and they both held the love they felt for each other.

"It's so unfair to you. And to me. We should be...making love to each other right now," her voice ended in a whisper. "Instead, we are discussing my unnatural fear."

"Shh, my dear. We will overcome this," he whispered, his calloused fingers tracing the outline of her face softly.

"How can you be so sure? What if I never want to do...it...that?" She stumbled over her words. "I know men have to, it's something they have to do, like breathing."

He burst out laughing.

"Hey! Now that is not entirely true! I've never before done it, you know!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Not even with the Orlesian Warden Commander?" She shot back angrily.

He was taken aback and faltered briefly. "That was different. That wasn't, well. It wasn't complete," he stammered nervously. How could he tell her what had happened, when the whole thing embarrassed him greatly? "I can tell you about it, but I don't know how you would...er...take it."

Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. Yet, she believed him .

"So you've never really done...it?" She asked, her voice laden with surprise and wonder.

"No, I was raised in the Chantry. It's not easy to do it, when you have others telling you it's sinful," he laughed again.

"I was a virgin too, before...before, well...you know," she said quietly, her eyes searching his. Whatever she was searching for, she had apparently found it, for the next thing he knew, she was holding him closely and kissing him. His heart fluttered wildly.

"I want to do it with you soon, Alistair. I know you will be very gentle and tender. I can feel it. Let's not wait long, all right?"

He nodded dumbly, words failing to come forth and he could only stand there, his arms around her, thanking the Maker for her as he fought to control his desire which was threatening to overcome him completely.

"Whenever you're ready, my love. I can wait."

And somehow when he said those words, he found himself more in control than he ever had before.

...

They all stood around the gaping hole and looked down into the darkness, waiting for their Commander to give out orders on what they should do.

He stared at them all before speaking.

"We all know why we are here. We know this will not be easy and it will be several weeks, maybe even more, before we can see the light of day again. Any of us can die down there. If any of you want to turn back now, you can. I would understand completely and would never hold it against you."

Nobody moved.

"We're with you to the end, Commander," Anders said quietly.

Everyone spoke their agreement, if not in words, in gestured as some nodded. Oghren's gruff "Aye" was heard, and Leliana's sweet voice was heard above the rest. "I am not afraid."

Alistair felt a lump in his throat, touched by their loyalty and their belief in him.

"Let's do this then," he finally said. He looked at them one more time and took Chantalle's hand, holding it tightly. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Down the hole and into the deep." Alistair said in a deep voice.

And they followed him down into the underground tunnels.


	13. The Tainted Tunnels

**Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! :D **

**Thanks PhenonRen, Virginia Gale, Jinx1983 and Warrose for your excellent reviews! :D **

Chapter 13 - The Tainted Tunnels

_Prison gates won't open up for me_

_On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'_

_Oh, I reach for you_

_Well I'm terrified of these four walls_

_These iron bars can't hold my soul in_

_All I need is you_

_Come please I'm callin'_

_all I scream for you_

_Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'_

_Savin' me - nickelback.._

_._

_._

Their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, but before they could move, Fiona's staff sent out a light that dimly lit the path ahead. Alistair turned to her, and his gaze showed her how grateful he was. She only smiled and focused once more on the path ahead.

They moved slowly, pausing to listen and trying to sense any darkspawn in the tunnels. There was no familiar tingle, no hum, nothing. Alistair figured they were probably deeper inside.

They walked on and on, without feeling the slightest thing, their footsteps scarcely making no noise on the earthen ground, when suddenly Alistair, who was leading the group, held out his hand, motioning all to stop.

There it was, a faint tingle. He could feel it very well and judging by the look on his companions, they could too. The only ones that stood there and didn't feel it, but knew that something was up ahead judging by their looks, were Leliana and Fiona.

"Twenty," Fernan whispered. "Two emissaries."

Alistair nodded.

"Listen up quickly. The last time we tried our tactics on them, they didn't work, so we'll do something different now. You all know we have to take the emissaries down first. But this time, let's not take them down...let's focus on archers, and let the mages handle the emissaries," he whispered, Anders and Fiona nodded, both had serious expressions on their faces. "I know we'll be taking chances...they may throw a crushing prison spell on you both, but we have to take chances in order to bring them down. And we also have to be quick about taking down their archers. Then we can move faster, towards their emissaries."

"Riiiight," said Anders. "Let's all watch as the mages are lifted off their feet, while being crushed."

"Too funny, Anders," Alistair shot back. "Remind me to laugh once this is all over."

"Count on it," Anders quipped back.

"Here they come," Fernan cautioned.

And without a word to anyone, Alistair charged, full speed, as the first two genlocks came into view.

He dodged them, his shield crushing into them as he wound his way through the hurlocks next, spotting the archers up ahead, with the emissaries flanking them. He hurled himself close and flung his arm out, cleansing the area, buying the mages time to shoot their offensive spells at the emissaries, and then he started to hack into the nearest darkspawn archer.

Oghren let out his beserker cry and swung his axe around the other archer, cutting it in two neatly. Marcus's shield bashed into a third archer, and he turned to crush the end of his hilt directly onto the face of one of the emissaries.

Chantalle, in the meantime, was dancing around a group of five genlocks, avoiding the hurlocks on purpose. They were heavier, and therefore slower, true, but she wanted to get rid of the fastest first, and so she hacked and did not stop till they lay dead on her feet. Her eyes glinted madly with something that looked like joy in the half-light.

Leliana caught the look and shuddered, not pausing to reflect on it, but continued to shoot fire arrows at the creatures instead. She alone managed to take down a couple of hurlocks, and focused on the rest, grimacing.

The remaining darkspawn were all hurlocks. The emissaries were suspended in the air, arms flailing as they twitched under crushing prison spells which they had tried to shoot at Anders and Fiona unsuccessfully. Alistair cleansing the area previously had done the trick and they had no mana left to call forth the spells that would stop them.

Ten minutes later, they all stood and grinned at each other. Nobody had been hurt and all the darkspawn lay dead at their feet.

Alistair turned around then, and his heart sank.

"Holy Maker!" Anders hissed. "I can feel a really big group ahead! Can you feel it?"

"Yes," Alistair replied quietly. He turned to eye the rest, and they nodded. "In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death-"

"Sacrifice," all of them replied.

The tunnel ahead was suddenly full of darkspawn. Alistair could feel a hundred easily, give or take. He stole a glance at Chantalle, who grinned wickedly at him, and he felt his heart sing.

"For the Grey Wardens!" He yelled, and the rest replied the same words with a roar.

Then they flung themselves at the advancing darkspawn.

...

They hacked their way into the horde, not pausing, never relenting. Their shouts and battle cries easily heard above the din, the mages firing their offensive spells at the darkspawn that advanced. Fiona hit them all with a sleep spell which bade them some time and helped them cut through the front lines.

An hour passed quickly and Alistair felt himself tiring. He didn't stop to glance at the others, because he knew that if he did, he would be dead. He gritted his teeth and plunged onward, stopping at no one, pausing for nothing. His feet and shoulders ached and his shield arm felt numb, but he continued in spite of it all.

They managed to break through the last line of the darkspawn defense when a shout was heard. It was not coming from them.

Alistair froze. The shout was coming from the within the remaining bulk of the darkspawn.

There was a darkspawn that was doing the shouting. And it spoke in Ferelden.

"Lower your weapons."

Alistair grimaced as he obeyed, remembering the Architect.

The fighting stopped completely. The darkspawn parted and revealed a path leading up to a single darkspawn standing at the end, waiting for Alistair to approach.

Nothing moved, nobody spoke, and Alistair slowly made his way up to where the creature stood, grinning madly at him, its sharp teeth glinting maliciously in the dim light.

"We will talk now." Its voice had a grating tone to it that chilled Alistair's bones. Yet he did not flinch. Giving a nod, he waited for the darkspawn to speak.

"You, Grey Wardens. Follow me," it spoke again and Alistair and his companions followed.

...

They followed it into a natural underground cavern and it stood in front of them, waiting for all of them to gather around.

When it spoke, it did not speak very loudly, yet its voice could be heard clearly.

"We will not battle you. You seek the source of this. We will tell you what we know. You will understand that we want to end the bloodshed. And you will understand that there is only one way to do it."

"Please," Alistair said, nearly spitting out the words. "Don't try to give us a speech about how Grey Wardens and all of you want the same thing. Don't tell me you also want to avoid future Blights. I've heard this before from the Architect, but the Architect is dead."

"The Architect was wrong. The Architect did not do things correctly. It took too many risks," the darkspawn said, grinding its teeth.

Fiona scoffed behind Alistair audibly. "The Architect wanted to sacrifice everything and everyone. Including other darkspawn."

"That is not important right now. What is important is that you listen to what is happening. I am not the person who leads the darkspawn. I do not have the answers. But I have been told to not fight you. You will have to journey back from where you came and continue south east, until you reach Orzammar. There you will find our leader, The Beloved. There you will discover what you fight and who you must fight."

"Your leader is in Orzammar? In the Deep Roads?" Alistair asked quickly, his eyes dark and foreboding.

"Yes. There you must travel. You will find The Beloved in what you call The Deep Trenches. You will find the answers you seek. We will go now. And we will stop fighting you until you speak to The Beloved."

It said no more and left them standing there.

One by one the darkspawn retreated, until they were left alone in the tunnels.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Then Alistair cleared his throat.

"Well. It looks like we're going back to the compound after all. I wonder if Duran is back?" He said in a loud voice.

"There are also twenty wardens coming from Amaranthine, Commander," Anders whispered.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten about that..." Alistair's voice sounded strangled. He sighed.

They turned and followed him back into the dark tunnels, but even as their feet carried them on, their hearts bore a burden that was fast turning into a dead weight.

...

The way back seemed longer to them somehow. They stopped to camp on the surface, and were exhausted by the time everything had been set up.

Fiona approached Alistair, standing before him. He was sitting in front of the fire, his eyes distant and brooding. He looked up when he saw her shadow over him.

"Yes, Fiona? What can I do for you?"

"Can I sit here?" She nodded at a trunk next to him.

"Of course."

She sat and stared into the fire, and at that moment, Leliana approached the fire and stopped still in her tracks. She was a very observant bard, Leliana. So observant that what she saw now made her breath catch in her throat. Both Alistair and Fiona were staring into the fire and both had identical expressions in their eyes and on their faces. Leliana was startled. It almost seemed as though they were related! But that could not be so. She shook her head, clearing her mind and turned to the stew bubbling in the pot over the fire.

"You know that this 'Beloved' is probably a darkspawn that is trying to follow in the Architect's footsteps, don't you, Commander?" Fiona began, giving Alistair a long, searching look.

"Yes. I do," Alistair said. "And I'm not going to agree to anything it says."

"Good," she smiled.

After a while, she spoke again, and did not look at him when she did, keeping her eyes on the fire.

"Duncan would have been proud of you. He died at Ostagar, didn't he?"

Alistair turned his eyes on her, completely dumbstruck at her words. After a moment, he found his voice and spoke.

"You...knew...Duncan?"

"Yes, he was a close friend of mine. I was there when he was recruited into the order," she smiled wistfully, remembering that time so long ago when the dark-haired boy had nearly been put to death for murdering a Grey Warden. She decided not to give Alistair the details, as it was plain to see that he had admired Duncan, and she didn't want to do anything that would destroy his admiration for him.

"Oh!" Alistair got out, and after a while he said, "What was he like?"

"He was brave beyond words. He rode on the back of a dragon to save us once," she laughed at the memory, though at the time, it had not been a laughing situation. "He also had very sticky fingers."

"Sticky fingers?" He asked, smiling at her.

Fiona laughed. "Well, he was a rogue and a cutpurse. He picked pockets to live. He was so used to stealing that it frequently got him into trouble. I'll tell you more about _that_ later. Anyway, it was not a very glamorous past, but our Commander saw he was fit to become a Grey Warden, and so he did. He was very young when he joined, probably five or six years younger than you."

Alistair smiled again, his lopsided grin bearing into her very soul and wrenching her heart a little. Maric had had the exact same grin. She sighed softly and turned back to the fire.

"He believed whole-heartedly that the Grey Wardens must do whatever is necessary to stop the Blight. Sometimes I wonder if he would have sided with the Architect. But then I stop myself from having these thoughts when I remember what others did not see at the time when he was young, reckless and hot-blooded."

"And what was that?"

She turned to face him and gave him a brilliant grin that lit up her features.

"He was a good man."

She stood up then, and walked towards her tent, leaving him sitting there staring after her.

Somehow, she felt familiar, but he could not place what he felt when he was with her. Aside from that feeling, he also knew after talking about Duncan with her that she admired and cared about him.

And that alone was enough for him to warm up to her.

...

Chantalle returned from bathing in the nearby stream. She saw Fiona leave Alistair's side and immediately walked up to where he was and sat down next to him. His eyes lit up and he put his arms around her, kissing her forehead gently.

"Mmmm. You smell delicious," he breathed in her scent.

"Not the same can be said of you, unfortunately!" She exclaimed as laughter bubbled up inside her and left her mouth.

"He-ey! That's not very nice," he protested, bending down to kiss her rosy lips.

Leliana then informed everyone that dinner was ready and they ate, while they chatted and laughed at each other's stories and comments. As soon as dinner was over, Alistair excused himself.

"I'll be back. You've offended me deeply, so I'm off to wash myself in the stream, and I can then smell better for you." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and turned to leave, a smile on his lips.

"Commander!" Anders called out after him, causing him to pause and turn to look at him questioningly. "I've some rose-scented soap, it's very..._strong_!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Alistair replied as Chantalle and Leliana dissolved into giggles. Fiona merely smiled and looked up at him, her eyes full of love.

Leliana caught the look, before Fiona had a chance to look away quickly. Her eyes focused on the fire in front of her, and Alistair retreated to the stream, whistling happily.


	14. A Glimpse into the Past

**My thanks to PhenonRen, Jinx1983 and Warrose for their awesome reviews! :D **

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Chapter 14 - A Glimpse into the Past

_The things I thought you'd never know about me  
Were the things I guess you always understood  
So how could I have been so blind for all these years?  
Guess I only see the truth through all this fear,  
And living without you…  
And everything I have in this world  
And all that I'll ever be  
It could all fall down around me.  
Just as long as I have you,  
Right here by me.  
Here by me - 3 Doors Down_

The moment Fiona had set eyes on Alistair, and heard his name, she had felt her lungs constrict, to a point of her breathing hitching and a small gasp for air making its way to her lips, which had been unnoticeable to the wardens standing before her.

She supposed she really shouldn't have been surprised. After all, she had heard stories of how the Blight had been stopped and how the two wardens who had stopped it, one a dwarf, the other a human man had survived. She therefore knew that one of the surviving wardens was Alistair. The wardens at Weisshaupt had tried to find answers to their survival, particularly for the dwarf's survival, as he had been the one to deal the killing blow, but they could not find any.

She was surprised at the fact that this young man was the Commander of Ferelden, though he looked so much like Maric that she really wasn't that surprised. What had really surprised her when she finally discovered who Alistair was, was the fact that he was a Grey Warden. Of all the things she had wished for him, it wasn't this. No. She knew the heavy price to be paid when becoming a warden. She had paid it already. Even though there were no traces of the Taint in her anymore, and she would never experience her Calling, she had already paid the price of becoming a warden, and that had come back to bite her in the arse.

For she had had to give up her son, when he was a baby, whom she loved above all else. She had had to give him up because the wardens had asked her to give him up. You simply could not be a grey warden and a mother at the same time.

And yet...after all these years. Here she was. And there he was, standing not two feet away from where she was sitting.

Alistair Theirin, Warden Commander of Ferelden.

Her son.

Her eyes settled on Alistair as he embraced and kissed the elven rogue. She could tell she was Dalish, and marveled at what she was seeing.

She herself, was an elf, and Maric, the King of Ferelden had been her lover. And then Alistair was born.

Yes. History felt like it was repeating. With the only difference that Alistair was not king. And she preferred it this way. One of the things she had stressed to Maric was that she wanted a normal life for him. Away from court. And she didn't want him in line for the throne. Ever.

Alistair sat down next to her, and smiled.

"Commander, how is it that you are not the King of Ferelden, if I may ask?" She had to know.

He flushed a bit and his eyes clouded briefly. Then he smiled. "Well, if you must know, I was a candidate for the throne after Cailan died. I was put forward by Eamon Guerrin, who was my foster father and the Arl of Redcliffe. He wanted to preserve the Theirin bloodline. But my good friend, Duran, who was travelling with me at the time convinced the Landsmeet to support Anora, thank the Maker! I never wanted the throne, the very idea of it terrified me. But it all worked out and now I'm happy doing what I really wanted to do all along."

She nodded. "And how did you become a Grey Warden? You don't have to answer, but I am curious," she smiled at him.

He laughed after blushing, something she found charming and sweet.

"I was conscripted into the order, by Duncan," he said, pausing as the memory of his conscription came back to him. "I was lucky. If Duncan hadn't conscripted me, I would have become a Templar. And I hope I'm not frightening you or anything. I know you are a mage."

It was she who laughed this time. "Oh, don't worry. I did know you must have had some Templar training, after you drained the emissaries' mana like that. It was a good idea, and you did very well."

He blushed again at her compliment and his eyes fixed on the ground before him.

"So is Chantalle Dalish? She wears Dalish armor and has a tattoo on her forehead. I guess it's a pretty stupid question," she chuckled.

He laughed along with her. "Yes, she is Dalish. Her clan was completely slaughtered by darkspawn and they dragged her below into the tunnels." He paused and his whole face contorted with rage. Fiona blinked. Maker's mercy, had the boy inherited her temper? It seemed that way. "The darkspawn, they...they raped her. I think they wanted to turn her into a broodmother and thank the Maker we managed to save her. She went through the Joining immediately after that. I had the supplies for it in my pack."

"You make it a habit to carry around preserved Archdemon blood and darkspawn blood in your pack?" The disbelief in her voice apparent.

"Oh, yes. You'll be surprised at how many grey wardens I've recruited from doing just that," he nodded as he laughed again.

She laughed also. They fell into comfortable silence after that, and then Chantalle joined them. He happily put an arm around her and pulled her close.

Fiona smiled to herself. She inwardly thanked the Maker for what she had just experienced. Not only was her son free from court and other nasty noble traits, he was good and kind and in love with an elf.

Life just couldn't get better than that.

...

They arrived at the compound and were met by Leonie in the main hall. Alistair quickly told her of their meeting with the talking darkspawn. Leonie burst into a series of expletives and curses in Orlesian that would have had him blushing if he had known what she was saying. But Fiona understood and she knew, and that was enough as far as she was concerned. Fiona gazed upon the whole scene with an unperturbed look and eyed Leonie for a few minutes, before interrupting her rant.

"Warden Commander," she spoke quietly to her, placing herself beside Alistair and before the rest. "I do think that you have to control yourself. This man before you is the Warden Commander of Ferelden, not some warden recruit. He has come from Ferelden, to aid you against the darkspawn. He did not think about Orlais being a different country than his own. He simply came to assist. He has risked his life and the lives of those who travel with him. So far you have done _nothing_ but make him feel uncomfortable and have tried to even deny making things easy for him. You have denied him help in getting rid of the threat that is destroying _Orlais_, not Ferelden. Surely you can make an effort and stop trying to hamper his aid?" She ended up angry herself, and looked directly into Leonie's eyes.

Leonie took one look into Fiona's eyes, and shut up immediately. This tiny elderly woman commanded respect and had managed to make her feel ashamed at the treatment she had given Alistair so far. She then turned to Alistair, and mumbled an apology.

"It's all right, no offense taken," he replied cheerfully. Behind him, Anders cleared his throat.

"A missive has arrived from Weisshaupt, Fiona," Leonie said. "They wish you to assist here or wherever the threat is worse. They are directly placing you in charge of the operation. They express their willingness to help you in any way possible, but cannot spare men. They are fighting a horde of darkspawn at the moment."

"Still fighting them? That is disturbing news," said Fiona, her brow furrowed. "We were told there would be no more fighting until we had spoken to their leader."

"Maybe it meant fighting us, specifically?" Alistair suggested hopefully.

"I do not know. But we will find out. How long before we can set out for Orzammar, Commander?" She asked him.

"Please. Call me Alistair. It seems you will be leading us on our mission this time and I'm glad," he smiled at her, his eyes shining.

"Your men have arrived from Ferelden, Alistair. They await your orders," Leonie also added.

"Excellent, thank you Commander," he nodded, then turned to Fiona. "So, what should we do? Take my wardens along to Orzammar? Or tell them to wait here?"

Before Fiona had a chance to reply, a gruff voice was heard coming from the front doors.

"I travel all the way from Orzammar, and now I discover that I have to go back? Sodding nughumper, you'll pay for this!"

A dwarf strode to the middle of the room, looking at Alistair with a twinkle in his eyes. Alistair smiled and ran to embrace him, which was comical, for the dwarf reached his stomach.

"Don't get teary-eyed on me, Alistair! By the Stone! I hope you have at least had the decency to get laid? No? Ah, well, it seems my coming here will serve a purpose after all!"

Anders burst out laughing. "Ah, Duran, you will always be on the top of my list for making our Commander blush in different colors. Thank the Maker you are here! It was getting very dull."

"I suggest we head off to the mess hall to eat and further discuss our plans, gentlemen," Leonie smiled.

"Food? Well now, there's a clever lass!" Duran chirped happily and followed her to the direction of the dining area a broad smile on his lips with Alistair and the rest in tow.

...

"But we do need men when we travel to Orzammar. We nearly died in those tunnels, and I, for one, do not trust the talking darkspawn. I refuse to believe what he said." Anders interjected, and the rest readily agreed.

"Very well then, we'll take ten of our men, leave ten here, to assist you all if the darkspawn attacks surface again, will that do, Leonie?" Alistair said, taking a sip of wine. He was flushed, and it seemed that the wine had begun to make him a little tipsy, for he laughed more and coddled Chantalle also, who was fairly amused at the whole thing.

"That is perfect, Alistair." Leonie dimpled at him. She glanced at Fiona who nodded her approval. "I suggest we make preparations to leave in two days, then. All in favor?"

All hands shot up into the air, and Alistair raised both his hands and giggled.

"I think you have had enough to drink, Alistair," Chantalle bit back a laugh and took his wine glass away.

"But, Duran is here! I want to drink with him!" He gave her a puppy-eyed look and she surrendered and gave his glass back.

"Fine, fine. But do not come complaining to me tomorrow when your head explodes!"

"I can think of a lot of times when my head is close to exploding, and they all involve you," Alistair purred at her, and she blushed deeply.

"Ha! Look at him go! That's my boy," Duran clapped him on the back, and Alistair spilled some of the wine.

"Well, I'll be heading to bed. Have fun!" Chantalle called and danced out of Alistair's arms who pouted.

"I have a good remedy for hangovers. Something tells me I'll be using them very soon," Fiona joined Chantalle and Leliana and the three of them head off towards their rooms.

...

A hurlock was pressing its hands on his head, and was trying to screw it off at the same time.

Alistair groaned.

He opened his bleary, bloodshot eyes and the brightness in the room seared his head open. Pain made his eyes water and he literally saw stars. The whole room started to spin madly. His stomach lurched and he groped blindly for the end of the bed and vomited noisily onto the floor.

_Oh! I'm dying. _

"Alistair?" A voice boomed at him from the doorway. He held his head in his hands, his cool fingers at his temples.

"Go away," he mumbled.

"I'll bring a servant with a pot and some cleaning supplies." The female voice replied. "And I'll bring Fiona."

"Whatever."

He was sinking back into oblivion when the door opened and shut again, his head reacted violently and the throbbing felt worse, if possible.

A servant was noisily cleaning the floor right beside him. He groaned again.

"All right, young man. Time to get you back to normal." A voice said loudly and he opened his eyes in time to see Fiona applying healing magic to his head and body.

He gave a sigh of relief as the pain left him and he managed to sit up, and give her a weak smile. Behind her stood Chantalle, who was smiling at him.

"You will still be in a delicate state. My healing does not work miracles. I suggest you eat sparingly today, and get some rest, but I know you will not heed my advice. I have experienced the Grey Warden appetite myself. I have to go. Your friend, Anders, also has a hangover," she chuckled and left the room, after giving Chantalle a grin.

Chantalle moved over to his bed, placing a pot beside the now clean floor and sat beside him. He took her hand in his as she chuckled at his bleary, embarrassed expression.

"This is why I never drink," she mused, as she ran a hand over his unkempt hair.

"I'll want a hot bath now," Alistair told the servant who turned to Chantalle for a translation. The servant nodded at what Chantalle said and left the room.

"I'm so sorry, my love. Was I a rude and terrible person last night?"

Chantalle laughed. "Of course not! You giggled nearly all the time I was there, and you were very...er...suggestive."

"Oh!" He blushed and closed his eyes.

The servant returned with another servant and they filled the tub which was behind a screen with hot water. They informed Chantalle the bath was ready and left.

"I'll take that bath now. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?" He asked.

"Actually, I'd like to sit here and wait until you finish," she replied, tilting her head coyly.

More blushing on his part, and she matched his blush but before he could make a move, there was a knock on the door and Duran strode inside.

"By the stone! I hope I'm not interrupting you or anything!" He interjected honestly.

"No, no. It's fine. I'm about to take a hot bath anyway. Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," Duran replied. "A hot bath, eh? Well, I'll leave you two alone! Have a good one, then! I'll go see how Anders is doing." He burst out laughing and before Alistair had a chance to protest or utter a word, left the room.

"Well, I might as well take that bath!" Alistair grinned bashfully and left Chantalle on the bed, as he went behind the screen and undressed, finally climbing into the tub where he tried to relax.

...

**A/N: Yes, this chapter ends here! *evil laugh* I guess you'll have to read the next to see what happens! **


	15. Respite

**Thank you Jinx1983, Eva Galana and Warrose for your reviews and a _very_ special thanks to PheonRen who is reviewing each and every chapter in this fic! Wow! :D **

**Just a few more conversations here between the characters who are slowly getting very close to one another. :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 15 - Respite

I know that you've been shattered  
You been bruised  
We both know what it feels like when you lose  
But I'd bet my life on a roll of the dice for you  
If that's what it takes, that's what I'd do  
Tonight's the night, I'm gonna prove it to you  
Do I have to break down, baby just to break through  
If that's what it takes, that's what I'd do  
If that's what it takes...  
Bon Jovi - If that's what it takes

.

.

_Maker's breath! What do I do? Is she expecting something? What if I frighten her? What do I do? _

Alistair had finished taking his bath but was still sitting in the tub, and had broken into a sweat. He was having a hard time getting out of the tub, and even harder when he realized he had no clothes to change into.

_Oh, this is just champion! Yes, why don't you just walk calmly into the room completely naked?_

He then stood up and reached for the towels next to him. Fortunately for him there were two of them, so he managed to put one around his waist, securing it firmly and used the other one to dry his hair and draped that around his shoulders.

_Just, breathe, Alistair, breathe. That's it...calm and cool. You are a gentleman! Remember that! _

"I'm...er...coming out now," he said softly.

"Yes, that's fine. I won't look," Chantalle replied in a high-pitched voice. She was obviously very nervous herself.

He stepped outside and she was looking at the door, a deep blush tinting her face. Alistair's heart melted.

"I've got a couple of towels around me, but I'll put something on, all right?"

She nodded furiously, keeping her eyes away from his figure, as he crossed the room to where his pack lay. He fished for a pair of trousers and a white tunic and dashed behind the screen again, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He then concentrated on getting dressed and fussed with his hair, his fingers working nervously through the reddish brown strands automatically, thankful for the mirror in front of him.

A knock on the door and this time it was another warden, announcing that dinner would be served in the dining area in an hour. Chantalle thanked him and let Alistair know what he had said.

"I slept all day? No wonder I'm hungry!" He walked from behind the screen and stood in front of her, smiling.

"Yes, I can imagine you are, but you must not overdo it. Remember that Fiona said you are still in a delicate state, yes?"

Alistair scoffed and waved a hand to emphasize what he was thinking. "I'll eat anyway. You cannot simply ignore the Grey Warden appetite."

He knelt down beside her, and took both of her hands in his, kissing each palm softly, which earned him a loving look and sigh from her. She bent down and kissed him then, and he responded to the kiss with fervor.

After a short while, Alistair broke away from the kiss gently. "So, why did you stay here? I could have gone looking for you."

"I just wanted to be with you," she replied quickly, but one of his eyebrows shot up as he regarded her, totally amused at her trying to keep the truth from him.

"Oh, fine! I wanted to see if I could, you know...finally do...that...but, I can't. I'm not ready yet. I just keep on thinking about what happened and-" she stopped talking and shuddered.

He held her closely and very gently then. "My love," he crooned. "You have nothing to worry about with me. I just want you to be ready. You _know_ this. Don't try to force this to happen. Maker's breath! You've been through a lot! Give yourself some time, all right?"

She shuddered again, and nodded against his chest, her heart beating wildly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that such a good, kind man like you has to go through this. You are so good to me!"

"There is nothing to be sorry about. I feel a little nervous about it myself," he gave a laugh as she eyed him curiously.

"You are?"

"Of course I am! All this is new to me, after all. And before you make any smart comments about Leonie, no, I never bedded her. I'll tell you what happened with her when I feel more comfortable about it. I wish it hadn't happened now," he said wistfully.

"It doesn't matter, Alistair. We were not together then anyway."

"I know, but I did find myself attracted to you from the very first time I laid eyes on you. Well, not attracted in that sense! Maker's breath, don't look at me like that!" He held her chin firmly in his hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm truly not a lecher and very inexperienced when it comes to...well..._that_. We'll learn together. Is that all right with you?"

She nodded, a smile creeping up her lips and face. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Alistair."

"Good to know." His arms pulled her close again and they resumed kissing, their hands resting lightly on each other. The kiss got passionate and his hands began to roam over her back, as well as hers. Her fingers were suddenly entwined in his hair, and his breathing hitched as she hummed softly into his lips.

"Hmmm," he broke away gently. "Let's go get something to eat, before I ravish you here on the spot, shall we?"

She laughed and stood up, and he kissed her again, before leading her out of the room.

...

Fiona arrived to see Chantalle and Alistair sitting at the table, alone. She didn't want to intrude on them, but the rest were due to arrive any minute, so she cleared her throat to make her presence known and sat down beside Alistair smiling.

Alistair smiled back genuinely at her, his eyes warm.

"You know, it's not very often you see a budding relationship between an elf and a human man. And I just wanted to say I approve and am very happy for the both of you," she said affectionately.

"It is not allowed among the Dalish. But my clan is gone now. Alistair is my clan," Chantalle said softly, and Alistair squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I have heard a lot about the Dalish and admire them greatly," Fiona smiled back.

"You were a city elf before you became a mage, then?" Chantalle blurted out her question, then blushed when she saw the sad look on Fiona's face.

"I am...sorry," she stammered out. "I did not mean to pry into your personal life."

But Fiona smiled back at her, and shook her head.

"It's all right my dear. That was a very long time ago. I will tell you my story. You know that we, as elves, have to endure a lot of pain and humiliation in our lives."

"It does not have to be that way! My people believe that one day we will have our own land again, and we will get back what was taken from us," her eyes flashed and she held her head high.

"That may be so, child. But it may take a while. And I don't think that humans are ready to treat us as equals. They are harsh and cruel to us," she held out a hand to Alistair, and he took it immediately. "I do not mean to offend you, dear, truly."

"No offense taken. I know what we have done to the elves and am not happy about it at all," he said earnestly.

"I was a city elf. I was bought as a slave from the alienage here in Orlais. Yes, I am Orlesian. The Count who bought me kept me as a pet. He raped me. I was seven. I was his pet until I was fourteen, then I was sent to the circle when he discovered I was a mage."

The words spoken were cold and harsh, and Fiona stiffened while she said them. But she droned on, oblivious to the fact that they both had horrified looks on their faces.

"I never felt the same way about nobles after that. Until I met one that changed my views on nobles and human men forever. But that," she paused and now turned to them, smiling gently, "is a story for another day."

"I'm so sorry, Fiona," Alistair murmured, his eyes sad as he looked at her.

"No, you shouldn't be. What happened later was a turning point in my life. And as I just said, it changed my views on human men and nobility. I discovered that humans can be good and kind as well. And here you are, a good, kind person yourself. This tells me that what I think now is correct." Her smile lit up her face and she squeezed his hand affectionately.

Leliana walked into the room then, Oghren trailing beside her, swaying on his feet and nearly falling over when she stopped suddenly and he bumped into her.

"By the tits of my ancestors! Be careful when you stop walking, woman!" He growled and Alistair suddenly gave a bark of a laugh as he stared at Oghren.

"Ah, pike-twirler," he said, smiling through his bloodshot eyes. "I have some of my brew here, care to join me?"

Alistair then shook his head, still smiling. "Me? I'm never drinking again, thank you!"

"Suit yourself," he turned his eyes on Fiona. "Mage, eh? Well, mage, how would you like a taste of my brew?"

Fiona laughed. "I think I'll pass."

"You all don't know what yer missing, that's what," he toppled over to a chair and said down with a thump, taking a long sip from his deer skin and then burped.

Leliana smiled sweetly at Fiona, Alistair and Chantalle.

"I hope we aren't interrupting?" She asked in dulcet tones.

"No, not at all," Fiona replied nicely.

"Are you from Ferelden?" Leliana pressed on.

"No. I was born in Orlais, and grew up in the Alienage here, but then...oh, never mind. You'll find out soon enough. I'll tell you later."

"I would love to continue our conversation later," Leliana said, her eyes sparkling.

"Later it is, then," Fiona remarked as the rest of the wardens started to file into the hall, and the smell of dinner reached their nostrils, causing Alistair to smack his lips audibly.

...

Duran kept everyone laughing during dinner. He tried to get them to drink but they all declined. Alistair was making plans to visit the city with Chantalle the following day. They whispered while the rest talked on about their mission and other more trivial things.

"Hey, _Warden Commander_...can you at least join us when we talk? How about another drink tonight?" Duran grinned at him mischievously.

"Oh, no. I'll pass," Alistair laughed.

"Yes, I can see you have your hands...er..._tied_." Duran snickered. Alistair's ears turned a bright red and he stole a bashful glance at Chantalle who was grinning at the dwarf.

"Would you like to walk around Val Royeaux tonight Alistair? You haven't been around the city much, have you?" Leliana said smiling affectionately at her friend.

"Oh! No, I haven't! I'd like that, yes." He turned to Chantalle automatically who nodded at him.

"Oh, yes, of course I was going to ask you to join us, Chantalle," Leliana giggled. "And Fiona too, if possible, yes?

"Oh, no. I'm afraid I'm too old for that," Fiona said, smiling. "I have to get to bed early. But you all run along and have fun. Orlais comes to life during the night. All the people like to party and have fun here. Especially here, in Val Royeaux."

"It is hardly a time to have fun, with all the refugees, but I am sure there will be plenty of people around having fun anyway. We Orlesians try to make the best of things, even when times are dark," Leonie smiled.

"I think I'll join you, if you don't mind," Anders added hastily, as Leonie threw a dark look in his direction.

"Yes, of course, Anders. If you don't have any _prior_ engagement, that is," Alistair's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, no, no, no. No engagement," he tried to laugh, but a squeak came out of the middle of his laugh, cutting it off abruptly.

"Excellent, then!" Alistair answered back, and he saw that Leonie had risen from her chair and then hurriedly bid everyone good night. She left in a huff and Anders visibly sighed with relief.

"She's a dominant, bitter one, isn't she? Almost reminds me of a person that used to be my Warden Commander, a long time ago..." Fiona mused, lost in thought. "Well, you all have fun! I'll see you some time tomorrow." She nodded to all and left.

Alistair nuzzled Chantalle's neck playfully. She giggled and swatted him away and he pouted.

"All right, let's get going," Leliana said, and they stood up to leave.

"Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Duran called after them happily.

...

"So, you are a bard, correct?" Anders asked Leliana nonchalantly.

"Mmhmm," she offered as a reply, busily looking around the city square. The crowded city had a lot to offer, and nothing escaped Leliana's eyes. She wasn't really interested in Anders at all. She just wanted to head somewhere where acting or singing was taking place, determined that they all should have a good time.

Anders looked a bit offended and confused. Alistair had not noticed anything going on at all, he was too busy staring down at Chantalle, who was in turn looking at all the people. She obviously had never been to such a large city and he took in her looks and reactions, clearly enjoying them immensely.

"Hey Alistair, can I have a word with you?" Anders's voice interrupted him.

"Mmmm," came Alistair's reply, still focused on Chantalle's lovely profile.

"By the Maker, I'm serious here!" Anders rolled his eyes.

"Oh! Yes...well, what is it?" He let himself be led off to the side by Anders.

"What is the deal with Leliana, is she...single?" Anders blurted out.

Alistair's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?"

"No, I just have a penchant for pointless questions," Anders replied, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose momentarily. "Of course I'm serious."

"Well, she isn't with anyone if that's what you're asking. But I'd be more careful if I were you...Leonie can really be something when she gets angry," Alistair was once again focused on Chantalle, this time his eyes roamed over to her hips, and he wet his lips unconsciously.

"I swear, Alistair, you have to get it out of your system! You are standing there, staring at her like a fool. Pull yourself together, man!"

"Oh!" Alistair blushed and then looked at Anders. "Well, what can I say? She is beautiful and I _am_ in love," he grinned.

Anders flung his hands up and shook his head.

"All right, all right. Well, let's see. Leliana is sweet, but she also can be pretty strange at times." Alistair's voice dropped to a melodramatic whisper.

"Strange? What do you mean?" Anders asked, his face turning a little pale.

"You'll see..." Alistair ended the conversation cryptically, and walked off towards Chantalle again, chuckling under his breath.

Chantalle's eyes brightened as he approached and he thought he had never before seen anything as beautiful as she.

Anders shook his head and ran after them, thinking that it might be a good idea to stay away from women for now.

It certainly seemed as though the Maker was throwing all the insane ones in his direction.

...

**A/N: Poor Anders! I promise he will get a good girl...though I don't know yet if it will be in this fic! haha! :P **


	16. To Orzammar

**Thanks so much to Jinx1983, Harmakhis and Warrose for their awesome reviews! You guys rock! :D **

**We get a chance to look a bit more into Fiona's past and what torments her deeply in this chapter. **

**Also a bit of sexuality in this chapter as well, mild but there. So fair warning! :)**

**Bioware _still_ owns! **

Chapter 16 - To Orzammar

Sentimental days

In a misty clouded haze

Of a memory that now feels untrue

I used to feel disguised

Now I leave the mask behind

Painting pictures that aren't so blue

The pages I've turned are the lessons I've learned

Somebody bring up the lights I want you to see

(Don't You Feel Sorry For Me)

My life turned around

But I'm still living my dreams

(Yes it's true I've been)

I've been through it all

Hit about a million walls

Welcome to my truth.. I still love

Welcome to my truth - Anastacia

.

.

_We're off to Orzammar tomorrow morning. Chantalle, Leliana, Fiona, Anders, Oghren, Marcus, Fernan, Duran and myself. I decided to leave behind all the other Ferelden wardens to help Leonie against the darkspawn threat. Yes, it's only nine of us, and maybe we should bring more people, but in the end, if we are to die, I won't let more of my wardens die with me. _

_Fiona is a great mage and person. I find myself thinking there is something very familiar about her. I also feel very comfortable with her, and I trust her. I don't know why, but I do. Chantalle was commenting that she always seems to be watching me, and some people would think that creepy, but it's comforting to me and I really don't know why. _

_Chantalle and I have grown even closer. We talk a lot and every day that passes she opens up even more to me. She is a wonderful woman and I feel so lucky that she loves me! I am truly happy for the first time in my life. I thought becoming a grey warden was enough to make me happy, but it seems I was very much mistaken. _

_I got Chantalle a ring at the market square today. It's a simple silverite band with leaves etched all over it. I plan to have a small stone encased in it as soon as we reach Orzammar. I would like it to be a diamond, but we'll see what small precious stones we come across in the depths of the Dwarven city. I want to propose to her soon. I cannot imagine living my life without her. We are to end it in the Deep Roads, less than thirty years from now, and I want to be with her forever, if the Maker wishes it so. I know her religion is different from ours and I wonder if this would be a problem. I'll ask her, maybe she isn't very religious? _

_Maker! Look at the stupid things I think about when I think about a life with her! In the end, it's just Chantalle and Alistair, and that is the way it should be. I've never been so sure of anything else in my entire life before. _

Alistair sighed and next sketched a map onto the journal. They would have to take the shortest route possible to the Dwarven city, but it still would take them several weeks to get to their destination. He thought about cutting through the valley and avoiding the cities, which would save them a lot of time and estimated the trip to take two weeks at the most. That would have to do. He would show Fiona the map and the route he had marked, and take it from there.

He closed the journal and lay back on his bed, his eyes closed. He imagined Chantalle in bed with him and smiled.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He went to open it, and Chantalle stood there trembling slightly, looking very pale and frightened.

"Chantalle? What is it?" He took her in his arms and shut the door behind her.

"I had a nightmare, Alistair. It was terrible. The darkspawn they-" she started sobbing into his chest and trembling.

"Hush, my love, it's all right. You are safe," he rocked her gently and lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. Pushing away her damp hair, he bent down and kissed her tenderly.

"Can I sleep here with you? Just sleep...I don't want to be alone." She trembled again, her eyes distant, as the memory of the nightmare came to her again.

"Yes, of course, come, let's get you to bed," he took her and guided her to the bed, where she slipped under the sheets and blankets, shivering slightly. He took her in his arms, and she nestled into his chest still caressing her gently. Within minutes she was fast asleep in his arms.

And as Alistair held her close, feeling the steady rhythm of her heart beat, he, too, fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

...

When Alistair woke up the following morning very early, he still had Chantalle in his arms, and he was sporting a terrific erection. He blushed and moved slightly, trying to disentangle himself from her arms. As soon as he was free, he rushed to the screen that separated the tub and chamber pot from the rest of the room.

Chantalle woke up and was startled to hear a groans coming from behind the screen, but did not say a word. She stretched and her stomach growled. After a few minutes, Alistair walked back into the room and blushed when he saw she was awake. He had a look of being caught red-handed doing something, and she arched her eyebrows at him, clearly not understanding what was going on.

"How long have you been awake?" He stammered at her, his blush deepening.

"Not too long. Is anything wrong?" She asked tilting her head up at him.

"N-no. No. Why would anything be wrong? No. I mean-not anymore. I mean...Maker!" His hands went to his face and he shook his head.

Chantalle looked at him curiously. "Come over here, Alistair. Something is definitely not all right. Now tell me what is bothering you."

"I- I can't," he finished lamely. "I will later on, but not right now."

"Are you ill?" She stood up and went to him, but he backed away, right into one of the chairs in the room where he sat with a resounding thud.

"No, I'm fine! Really!" He protested. "I think we should wash up and go to get some breakfast. I'm hungry, aren't you?" He smiled nervously.

She decided not to press the matter, he was obviously very nervous about something. So she agreed and told him she would take a bath in her room and meet him downstairs.

"That's perfect, my love." He stood up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and led her to the door gently.

It just so happened that Leliana was walking by at that very moment. "Oh, good morning, Chantalle, Alistair!" Leliana burst into giggles, and Alistair's face turned a darker shade of red.

"We didn't, I mean...nothing happened!" He stammered and closed the door on them both.

"I don't understand human men," Chantalle said, feeling a little perplexed as she turned to Leliana. "Are you busy right now?"

"No, I'm not. Is there anything you need?" Leliana asked sweetly.

"Yes. I want you to explain some things Leliana. You have had experience with men, yes?"

"Ah! Say no more. Come, it is early yet. Let's go to your room, we can talk while you get ready to leave."

And Leliana took her by the arm and led her away, chattering as they walked towards her room.

...

When they all finally gathered for breakfast, Chantalle looked like a smug cat that had swallowed a canary, and gazed in Alistair's direction. Alistair's eyes caught her look and he blushed again. He was sure that Leliana had a lot to do with that look, but he dared not say a word. It was bad enough that Chantalle had possibly heard him while he was self-pleasuring himself this morning.

He suddenly didn't feel very hungry anymore and gazed upon his half-eaten plate of food miserably.

"What's up, Alistair? Feeling queasy this morning?" Duran thumped him on his back.

"N-no. No, nothing is wrong," Alistair mumbled and Duran made a mental note to have a long chat with him later, while they were on the road. Something was definitely wrong with Alistair, he could read him like a book. In fact, he thought to himself, _anyone _could read Alistair like a book. He smiled as he continued to eat, pausing every now and then to gaze at the rest of the people at the table.

Leonie was looking pale and withdrawn. Alistair suddenly felt very sorry for her, but it was Fiona who asked her if everything was all right.

"Everything is well, Fiona, thanks for asking," she replied in a quiet voice.

Nobody said anything after that, and it was very silent at the table.

When they were done, Alistair called the Ferelden wardens that were remaining in the compound with Leonie and issued them their orders, Leonie standing next to him.

Anders approached them. "Commander, I still think we should bring more people with us," he said.

"I'm sure you do," Alistair said. "I got something from the circle of magi here in Orlais. We visited it yesterday and the mages expressed their desire to help us in this journey." He held out several golden rings that winked back at Anders. "They are enchanted. They grant the wearer extra stamina and health. I'm going to have everyone wear one of these. As to dying, well, I'll try not to let anyone die on my watch," he said cheerfully.

Fiona called out to them and they walked briskly to where she was standing.

"Fellow wardens. I won't lie to you. We may die on this mission, but we are grey wardens. We must try to reach the source of the trouble before it spreads on to Ferelden and the rest of the nations. We must save the lives of many even if it means dying. I just want to finish by saying that is an honor to be travelling with all of you." She looked very serious and did not smile. Her expression softened when her gaze fell on Alistair, however. "Alistair? You wished to say something, right?"

He nodded and explained about the rings, handing one to each one, which they immediately put on.

"Are we ready?" Fiona asked them all, and they nodded back at her. "Very well. Goodbye Leonie." She nodded at her and walked off to the main doors, the rest trailing behind her.

Leonie's eyes were dark as she watched them leave. Then, a sigh escaped her lips and she turned back to the mess hall, where she sat and brooded most of the morning.

...

Fiona pushed them hard on the way, and they walked for two days, stopping only to eat and drink. They had not yet camped anywhere, but they understood the urgency of the mission ahead, and did not complain.

On the evening of the third day, Fiona called them together and told them they could camp ahead. She knew that they would have to get some sleep and Fernan quickly busied himself in setting traps around the camp perimeter. She appointed Duran and Alistair for first watch, Leliana and herself for second watch, Chantalle and Anders for third watch and they all nodded, turning to set up their tents and build a fire. Leliana cooked and they ate silently.

As soon as they were done, Chantalle offered to wash the dishes in the nearby stream and Leliana followed her. Alistair frowned as he watched them leave.

"It's Chantalle, isn't it? What can I do to help?" Duran stood beside Alistair, looking up at his friend.

"Maker, Duran, I feel so awkward now. I don't know what to do or say. Leliana is spending a lot of time with her, and I think she may have explained certain things to her, about...well, you know..." Alistair's voice trailed off.

"Sex?" Duran supplied hopefully. "By the ancestors! Don't flinch like that, Alistair! Sex is a very natural thing! Has something happened with Chantalle?"

Taking a deep breath, Alistair explained everything to Duran. He told him about the darkspawn raping her, and Duran gave a low whistle, his eyes dark with concern. But when he told him about what had happened in his room, and ended up telling him about how Leliana happened to arrive, he burst out laughing.

"Oh, sure. Laugh at the stupid idiot, why don't you?" Alistair remarked, his eyes briefly flashing with anger. He couldn't remain angry at Duran, however. The dwarf's optimism was contagious and he had proven to be a great friend to him on numerous occasions.

"Oh, sorry, my friend. Judging by the look on her face and the giggles they are sharing, Leliana has obviously explained what you were up to and has told her it's perfectly natural. Ancestors take me! That Chantry has ruined you!" He shook his head disapprovingly. "There is nothing at all wrong with self-pleasuring yourself. Keep that in mind." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, about Chantalle, she needs to be approached very slowly. And you have to make sure that sex is very pleasurable to her, so that she can finally overcome her fear. It isn't an easy task, but I'm sure I can give you a few tips on-"

"A few tips?" Anders asked, walking up to them. Alistair groaned.

"Hey, now, is that the way to treat your friend?" Anders protested.

"As long as you promise to keep quiet about it, then it's all right, I guess," Alistair replied thoughtfully.

"What's the big secret?"

And Duran turned to him chuckling. He filled him up on all the details quickly.

Anders smirked. "Well, now Alistair, you've come to the right people. I can also give you some tips on how to woo a woman."

"I'm going to marry her, you know. She isn't just _some woman_. And I don't just want to bed her!" Alistair replied indignantly.

"What? You really have fallen for her, haven't you?" Anders shook his head sadly.

"Leave him alone, Anders. If he wants to get married, then he should," Duran admonished.

They spent around an hour giving 'tips' to Alistair, and the poor man ended up blushing furiously.

Fiona interrupted them announcing that they had to go to bed and the first watch was up, and Alistair thanked the Maker silently for that.

Then Duran smiled up at him, and said, "Well, I guess we'll have more time to continue our little chat then!"

Alistair groaned inwardly and silently wished the night was over.

...

On the fifth day of their journey, they met a group of darkspawn that was attacking some travelers in wagons along the road. They quickly fell into a defensive stance and Alistair, Marcus , Oghren and Duran rushed directly into the fray, while Chantalle danced around laughing as she hacked away at the ones nearest to her. Fiona, Anders and Leliana kept their distance, and Fernan vanished and reappeared directly in front of the archers, dispatching one quickly and vanishing again, only to reappear behind another one and deliver a critical blow, while Chantalle quickly pivoted around, slashing its throat.

They worked quickly and in no time had killed off the darkspawn which lay dead at their feet. Alistair ran to the people in the wagons, who were fortunately unharmed, and they dissolved into thanks when they saw him. They all grinned at them and watched them go on their way.

He felt a hand slip into his gauntleted one, and turned to see Chantalle smiling up at him, admiration and adoration shining in her eyes. His breath hitched and he smiled back. Bending his head, he kissed her fully on the mouth, ignoring the guffaws and whistles from Duran and Anders. She returned his kiss passionately and he was slightly taken aback, but then pressed his body closer, wishing his armor away.

"All right, you two lovebirds, let's carry on," Fiona said, a hint of amusement in the tone of her voice.

They broke away, and he kissed her forehead before he turned to Fiona, a smile on his lips.

They burned the darkspawn bodies before they left, so that the Taint would not spread to other people who happened to come along the path. Then they left, Alistair and Chantalle walking close together, her hand in his.

He had a spring to his step and a foolish grin on his lips and thought his heart would burst from the happiness he was feeling.

...

They continued their journey and on the sixth day, set up camp again. Fiona sat next to Chantalle and Alistair around the fire. Alistair took the opportunity to ask her about Duncan.

"Oh, there is one story that is very racy, but funny!" Fiona smiled.

"I would love to hear it," Alistair grinned.

"Well, we were all meeting with the First Enchanter at the circle tower, who had something for us to help us on our quest. Duncan got bored, and decided to sneak around, looking for something to steal." Alistair chuckled at this.

"Anyway," Fiona continued. "before he disappeared, one of the apprentices there had been flirting with him and he waved to her before wandering off. It turned out that Duncan did manage to steal a dagger, but was nearly caught by the said apprentice, who had followed him. You see, she thought that he had left because he wanted to be alone with her, so they could-er-_lay_ together. Of course, that was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment, so intent was he on finding something to steal."

Fiona let out a chuckle and both Chantalle and Alistair joined her.

"Then our Commander noticed that Duncan was missing and went to look for him. She found him all right, right in the middle of making love to the apprentice, who was howling with pleasure!" Fiona burst out laughing. Alistair and Chantalle followed suit.

"Caught in the act, huh?" Alistair clapped a hand on his thigh, and continued laughing.

"Poor Duncan was very uncomfortable about it all. Nobody knew what had happened. I never knew myself till much later, when we left for Weisshaupt. He finally told me then. Of course we were very good friends by that time and he even returned with me to Ferelden when I had to-"

She stopped talking suddenly and they both stared at her, unable to understand why. Her eyes shined brightly with unshed tears.

"Oh. I'm feeling really tired at the moment. If you both will excuse, me?" She nodded to them and rushed towards her tent.

"What was _that_ all about?" Alistair frowned after her.

"I don't know, but I feel very sad for her. It looks like she needs a friend, you know? I wish we could help her out." Chantalle said thoughtfully.

"Well, maybe she'll decide to tell us someday. Until then, we'll have to just continue to support her the best we can."

...

Fiona burst into tears as soon as she was inside her tent. She cried quietly, keeping her sobs down to a minimum, praying not to be heard.

_I should tell him. Tell him that he is my son. He deserves the truth. _

She lay back on her bedroll, shaking her head, the tears coming fast.

Tell him? And then what? How could she cope with the fact that he would be so angry and feel so betrayed at being told a lie, at living a lie? No, she could not do that to him. She could not shatter his world like that.

But as much as she wanted to quiet the voice in her head, it still persisted.

_Tell him. I have to tell him someday. He deserves to know the truth. _

She could not do that to him. No. She would _not _tell him.

_Coward. _The voice in her head said.

And then sleep mercifully descended upon her and all was silent.

...


	17. Progress

**My thanks to Jinx1983, Warrose, Harmakhis and PheonRen for their fantastic reviews! I thrive on them, just so you know! *winks* **

**This is 'DA CHAPTER'! A lot of mature and sexual content ahead, so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Read at your own risk! :D **

**Bioware owns, but I wish I owned Alistair, sigh! :P **

Chapter 17 - Progress

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
I don't wanna fall asleep  
Cause I'd miss you babe  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream will never do  
I'd still miss you babe  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
Lying close to you feeling your heart beating  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming  
Wonderin' if it's me you're seeing  
Then I kiss your eyes  
And thank God we're together  
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever  
Forever and ever  
I don't wanna miss a thing - Aerosmith_

_._

_._

Alistair felt his erection throbbing against his leather trousers, as he held Chantalle close and she moaned into his mouth, her tongue twisting against his, probing, exciting him to no end. His hands roamed over her back and she pressed herself into him more than before, her hands entwining themselves in his hair.

"My love," she whispered, and that nearly drove him off the edge. His templar training never felt so necessary than at this moment. She had taken one of his hands and placed it on her-he gulped-breast.

He looked deeply into her eyes, still asking for permission, and she gave him an encouraging smile. His hand then fondled her gently, over her tunic, and travelled slowly to the opening, where he could finally touch her soft flesh while his kisses travelled lightly to her ear, and from there to her collarbone.

He was bending forward eagerly, his hand now touching her soft flesh, the roundness of her breast. His breathing hitched and he felt like he was drowning in desire. The desire in her eyes fueled him on and he took her in his arms and lay her on the ground gently.

He continued his ministrations, both his hands on her breasts now as he gently opened her tunic, their kisses urgent and more passionate than before. He blessed Leliana for having talked to her, and vowed to thank her personally one day. He just stared at her beautiful breasts for a moment, at her beauty, the desire in her eyes which made them look dark and inviting.

She was arching her back up to him when he found her hard nipple and he lowered his head to it, kissing it, then flicked his tongue over it before finally taking it into his mouth, and she moaned throatily as she involuntarily bucked her hips at him. She felt no fear, she didn't even remember what had happened to her. The only thing that mattered was Alistair, and what he was doing to her at the moment. She trembled again at his touch, as his mouth sucked her nipple, the growing warmth and tingle in her became nearly unbearable. "Alistair," she breathed heavily.

He went wild with pleasure, his eyes dark with desire as they locked onto hers, and he did the same to the other breast. She then took his head in her hands and brought her lips to his, and kissed him hungrily.

"Alistair? Chantalle?" A voice called out from the woods behind them. It was Leliana. "Dinner is ready, you two!"

"Thank you Leliana, we'll be right there," Alistair yelled back, then turned to look at Chantalle who giggled coyly at him.

"My love?" She said, her voice deep and breathless.

"Yes, my dear?"

"I think I'm ready," she replied, her eyes dancing into his.

He smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"I think I'm ready too. We'll have to do something about that, won't we?" He said playfully, one of his eyebrows shooting up towards his forehead.

"We'll get to Orzammar soon enough," she nodded at him.

"Where there are inns," his voice held a hint of lust in it, as he kissed her neck again.

She giggled and they embraced and kissed again. Then he helped her tie her tunic back on and her eyes fell automatically on the bulge in his trousers and she dissolved into giggles once again.

"Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"You minx," he growled and kissed her again.

She laughed into his mouth and melded herself into him, her body pressing into his erection.

He broke away, breathing heavily. "If we carry on this way, I may ravish you here on the spot. And I don't want it to be this way. Not our first time anyway."

She nodded and her arms gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze before they dropped to her sides.

"I'll go ahead. I'll leave you to...um..._tend_ to yourself," she glanced down to his erection for a moment, and he blushed, catching her meaning.

She burst out laughing, and left, his eyes following her swaying hips until she had disappeared into the tree line ahead.

...

Leliana sat next to Fiona, who had her eyes closed and was leaning against a tree trunk in front of the fire.

"Are you all right, Fiona?" She asked, concern in her eyes.

Fiona opened her eyes which were puffy and red and smiled kindly at Leliana.

"Just a headache, dear. Nothing to worry about. I can't use my magic on it, because my head hurts too much to focus on the spell. It will pass."

"Why don't you take a health potion then? Do you want me to bring one for you?" Leliana asked.

"No, it's all right. I'll have one in a bit. I just want to sit here and try to relax," she answered, her eyes falling on Alistair's figure as he walked into camp, making a beeline for Chantalle, who was standing next to her tent, chatting to Fernan.

Leliana saw this, and kept quiet for a few minutes. Then she spoke.

"He's a wonderful friend and a good man." The words were spoken quietly, and Fiona understood that Leliana suspected something. She immediately put her guard up.

"Yes, he is. Chantalle is very lucky and he is lucky to have her as well," she said, keeping the emotion out of her voice on purpose. She controlled the look on her face, which was now blank, but Leliana pressed on.

"Do you have any children, Fiona? I suppose you cannot be a grey warden and a mother at the same time, can you? With all the darkspawn that you have to kill, I mean," she watched her carefully.

A flicker of something there, then gone, in the blink of an eye. Leliana caught it. It was fear.

"Grey wardens cannot have children, the Taint in us, it...keeps us from having children. But there have been children born to Grey Wardens from time to time. It is not impossible. It can happen. The order doesn't allow children. Mothers must give up their children. I've seen it happen. It is not pleasant."

She was controlling her voice, keeping it cold and distant. But Leliana knew it was taking her a great deal of effort for her to do so.

Fiona turned to face Leliana then. Her eyes bore into hers, and for a moment Leliana was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze.

"I cannot share any more with you. I have to keep my focus on the mission ahead of us."

Leliana took a gamble and threw caution into the wind.

"You did have a child, did you not? You were forced by the order to give your child up." The last sentence was not a question, and Fiona's eyes widened as she gazed into the bard's.

She stood up quickly. "I must go to my tent," she said, but before she could leave, Leliana's quiet voice stopped her briefly.

"You cannot run forever, Fiona."

Fiona squared her shoulders, the only indication that she had heard the bard. Then, giving a gasp, she finally reached the sanctuary of her tent.

...

They arrived in Orzammar late in the afternoon and Fiona and Alistair made their way to an inn to get rooms for everyone. They decided to get five rooms, one of them would not share a room. Alistair suggested Fiona should sleep alone, and she smiled at him nodding.

"Let's distribute the remaining rooms, now, shall we?" Fiona found herself saying. But before she could continue, Alistair took her by the elbow and asked to speak to her privately.

They went farther away from the rest, and she looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. He was blushing slightly and she could tell that whatever he had to say, it was embarrassing to him. She smiled. It probably had something to do with Chantalle.

"I-uh...wanted to talk to you about the rooms," Alistair began. He looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. "We, that is, Chantalle and I, we, well. We want to sleep in the same room." He took the plunge and said it all in one breath.

"I see. Could I offer you some advice then?" Fiona said seriously.

Alistair nodded and felt a bit uncomfortable. He felt that something was bothering her but he waited for her to speak.

"You must be very careful. It is not impossible for two wardens to conceive. There have...been...cases of it happening in Weisshaupt. Grey Wardens are forced to give up their child if this happens."

Alistair's eyes widened, his face a myriad of emotions.

"They take away your children from you?" He muttered, disbelief in his voice.

"Yes. Though I've only heard of it happening in Weisshaupt. It's very unpleasant and I would not like it to happen to you or Chantalle. You must understand that I want the best for you both," she said, her eyes infinitely sad as she spoke.

"Yes, of course! I know this." His lips quirked into a lopsided grin. "Well, then. If it happens in Weisshaupt, then we must try not to travel there ever, right?"

A small smile appeared on Fiona's face and her eyes softened as she looked at him. At that moment, he looked more like Maric than ever. Her heart wrenched inside her painfully.

"You know, we travelled with your father. Duncan was a very close friend of his." She said on an impulse.

Alistair faltered, and looked startled.

"Duncan knew my father? They- they were _friends_?" His eyes were wide and surprised as he looked into hers.

"Yes. Very good friends." Pain crossed her features, and she shut her eyes then. After a while she opened them and shook her head.

"We'll tell the others the sleeping arrangements then. I hope you both have a good night!" She chuckled as she walked towards the rest of the group.

...

They ordered food and drink and Fiona asked baths to be drawn in their rooms, while the rest chatted away, their spirits high and laughter spreading all around the table. The only ones that were not really paying attention to the rest were Chantalle and Alistair, who were looking into each other's eyes, and stealing furtive kisses now and then. Fiona had to smile in spite of everything. They looked so happy together!

Once dinner was over, Alistair took Chantalle's hand in his and bade everyone a good night. Guffaws broke from Anders and Duran, but they simply ignored them and walked towards their room for the night.

When they reached their room, Alistair took her inside. A hot bath was waiting for them. He decided they should take turns.

"You go first. I'll go see if I can get someone to carry in more hot water for my bath."

She nodded and they shared a quick kiss before she disappeared behind the screen and Alistair went to find someone to get more water for them.

He had a long wait, for all the waitresses and serving girls were busy with other orders. As it turned out, he managed to get someone to fill out his order, and by the time he made his way back into the room, Chantalle had already bathed, and was sitting at a table to the right, her blond hair still wet, dark and plastered over her shoulders, wearing only a robe.

His breathing hitched when he saw her and he walked over to where he sat.

"My love," he breathed, and kissed her passionately and she returned the kiss, her hands on his face.

There was a knock on the door and two servants walked in and cleaned out the lukewarm water in the tub then filled it anew with hot water. They smiled at them and left the room.

Alistair winked at Chantalle and went behind the screen to bathe. He did not take very long and soon was standing beside her again, a towel wrapped around his waist, his longish wet hair falling almost to his shoulders. She stood up and he took her in his arms, kissing her fully on the mouth.

They started to touch each other gently. Alistair wanted to go very slowly, and take his time, he wanted to see her without the robe on, so his hands fell automatically on the laces that were holding it together.

"May I?" He breathed.

She nodded wordlessly as her hands traced his chest, her fingers travelling lightly over his well-toned muscles, making him shiver slightly.

The robe fell to the floor and Alistair's breathing hitched.

She was a goddess. She was a goddess of beauty and she was standing there looking into his eyes shyly.

_Maker's breath!_

His widened eyes looked at her luscious body, so perfect to him. Her round, full breasts and rosy nipples, her incredibly tiny waist and wonderful hips, her thighs, her legs. He gasped and took her gently in his arms, kissing her. His touch was warm, so warm, he soon had her wanting more.

Their kisses got more passionate, more demanding, her body felt like it was on fire, and she was grinding herself onto him, he groaned and suddenly lifted her up and carried her to the bed in the room.

He lay her gently on the bed, lying next to her, still showering her with kisses, his hands forever restless, as they worshipped her breasts. He took her nipples and pinched them gently, and she arched her back moaning softly to him.

His head fell on her chest, and his tongue flicked out as he tasted her, reveling in how she tasted, so sweet and salty, so feminine and fresh. His mouth sucked at her breasts, taking his time on each one, till her moans got louder, at which point his lips descended on hers again hungrily, silencing her moans and eliciting soft groans from him.

His hand traveled below her navel and reached her dark blond curls at last, burying itself in them, touching gently but not quite there. He fumbled inexpertly for a few moments, still kissing her, wondering where the heck it was, till he accidentally found it and knew he had when she bucked her hips up to his and moaned deeply.

He broke away the kiss and looked into her eyes, his eyes dark with desire, as hers burnt into his as well, her mouth slightly open, her breathing coming in gasps.

Then, he looked down and parted her folds, gazing with wonder at the tiny nub that brought so much pleasure to her.

"So beautiful," he murmured, descending his lips upon her nub and taking it in his mouth, gently sucking.

She went wild, her hands digging into his hair, pulling it gently and he felt himself grow harder, if possible.

His tongue found her entrance, which was wet, and he tasted her. It was incredible. He licked his lips as he came up for air, his eyes focusing on her, drinking in her reactions and her body. His fingers continued to caress her nub, as he brought his lips on hers next.

They continued their foreplay, and her hands found the towel, and they quickly unfastened it, his erection bursting forward free from its confinement at last.

"Big and beautiful," she murmured and he moaned as he kissed her passionately again. And again.

He could not take much more of this. He could not last, he simply had to -

"Are you ready, my love?"

She nodded.

And he positioned himself at her entrance.

It was hard to get in, she was wet and slippery and he fumbled for a few moments, exasperation clouding his face.

She smiled and guided him herself, taking him in her hand, while he bit his lower lip, struggling to get a grip on himself. Finally, he was able to push the tip inside her. The feeling nearly drove him over the brink and he paused.

"Are you all right?" He whispered and she nodded, opening her legs even farther apart. He took one of them and placed it on his hip, and she did the same with the other one, and he pushed again.

The wonder in his eyes as he looked into hers made her smile gently, yet she cried out as he continued to push slowly and he paused confused.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, no. Don't stop! Please, Alistair!"

He gave a growl and buried himself completely into her. Her wetness and the tightness of her walls surrounding him...what he felt at that moment went beyond words.

For Alistair Theirin had finally discovered what it meant to be complete and whole.

He promised himself something as they made love to each other over and over again that night and they finally lay in each other's arms, spent, as sleep slowly descended upon them.

He would never let her go.

...


	18. A Hunting We Will Go

**My deepest thanks to PheonRen, LadyCallia, Warrose, and my sista Jinx1983 for your excellent reviews! Yay! :D **

**This chapter starts with some sexual content, so RATED M FOR MATURE, you have been warned! ;) **

**Bioware, you still own...*sobs* **

Chapter 18 - A Hunting we will go

_I need a hero  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night  
He's gotta be strong  
And he's gotta be fast  
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a hero  
I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light  
He's gotta be sure  
And it's gotta be soon  
And he's gotta be larger than life  
Somewhere after midnight  
In my wildest fantasy  
Somewhere just beyond my reach  
There's someone reaching back for me  
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat  
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet  
Bonnie Tyler - Holding out for a Hero_

_._

_._

He had no idea what time it was, but when he woke up, the fire was burning low and the room was bathed in a golden half-light.

He bent over to look at her as she lay sleeping next to him. All soft and golden, as if made of molten fire, and he smiled, taking in her beauty, wishing to stop time at this very moment, if only to remain with her like this forever.

Her golden hair lay sprawled over the pillow and the tip of one of her adorable elven ears peaked through shyly as if assessing its surroundings. Alistair bent and kissed it adoringly. She stirred in her sleep, stretching, the sheet falling away from her naked body and his lips parted, the wind knocked out of him for a brief millisecond.

_Maker's breath! She is so beautiful!_

She opened her eyes, which looked dark and golden in the light and smiled sleepily up at him.

"Good morning, my love," he murmured, bending down to kiss her.

She returned the kiss with passion and he melted. Somewhere in a dark corner of his mind, he remembered that they had to be somewhere important, but it was pushed further inside, as he lost himself in her softness, his lips hungrily devouring her, his erection begging for entrance.

She was eager for his touch, the sounds coming from her mouth doing nothing but excite him more, and he felt himself grow weaker.

He was determined, however, that she should enjoy this first, before he even dreamt of completion, so he focused on her breasts, the rest of her body and finally focused on her clitoris. He did not stop until she had had her release.

Only then did he seek entrance and was rewarded by her nudging him and flipping him over on his back in a quick movement, straddling him.

This new position drove him crazy. He grasped her hips and thrust forward, his release pulling him to the brink of insanity, the moans and mewling sounds that burst forth from her lips did nothing but spur him on, and he felt that he would surely die from the pleasure.

Her walls tightened around him and he cried out, releasing his seed into her with a frenzy, and she fell on top of his chest, covered in sweat and panting, murmuring his name over and over like a chant.

"I love you," he said huskily and his arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go.

There was a loud knocking on their door.

"Hey, you two!" Anders's voice, which sounded highly amused, reached their ears. "It's nearly time for breakfast and you have a pair of dwarves waiting to fill your tub with hot water. Get a move on! Fiona won't like to be kept waiting!"

"All right, all right," Alistair sighed, standing up. He reached for a pair of loose trousers and making sure that she was covered with a sheet first, got up and strode over to the door, opening it.

The two dwarven girls quickly filled the tub and left smiling.

He locked the door and held a hand out to her.

"Milady, your bath is ready," he said bowing, his hand still outstretched. She grinned and took it, getting out of bed, while his eyes roamed over her naked body, memorizing it, and adoring every inch of it.

"Now, don't get any ideas. We have to hurry, Alistair! Maybe we should bathe together this time, so we can leave quickly?"

"Your wish is my command," he replied, giving her his lopsided grin. He took his trousers off, he could not help it, he already had a huge erection. He grinned bashfully as she eyed it.

"So soon? We really have to hurry," she whispered as he took her in his arms again and this time their joining was quick but sweet.

"And hurry we shall, let's get into the tub," he finally said. And they did.

They bathed quickly, and dried themselves, slipping into their armor. Chantalle helped with a couple of his hard-to-reach buckles and they left the room after sharing another kiss and grabbing their packs.

...

They were checking out Alistair's old map and Anders was thinking there was a more direct path to the Dead Trenches, and was not listening to what they were saying.

"The best way to the Deep Trenches is follow the path here, through Caridin's Cross," Alistair argued with Anders for the third time and Duran readily agreed. Oghren took a swig from his brew. The rest looked over their shoulders at the map while Fiona let them speak. She barely remembered how she had gotten to the Deep Roads so many years ago when she had been travelling with Duncan, so she relied completely on Alistair and Duran's memory, as their visit had been recent.

"Are we ready then?" Fiona asked quietly.

They nodded in unison and walked slowly forward, the darkness enveloping them as they advanced.

...

At first glance, Caridin's Cross seemed to be empty and long abandoned. Alistair could feel this was not true. He stepped warily towards the source of light in the middle of the four junctions, a great pillar with a fire burning from its center.

The rest stood still, listening, and feeling for darkspawn. The faint tingling was there, but far, and they hurried on, hoping to by pass them as they walked into the various tunnel entrances that crisscrossed the area.

"This is strange," Fiona's voice interrupted his thoughts, soft and pensive. "When I was here a long time ago, there was a darkness, a black fungus that covered the walls, as if the taint was affixed to the very stone itself."

"Yes, that's Ortan Thaig," Alistair said quietly as he advanced slowly into a darker part of the tunnel.

"Ugh, is that lichen? I feel like I can't breathe!" Anders complained.

"Shh!" Alistair raised a hand, signaling them to be quiet.

The tingling was stronger, and he felt them before he saw them.

At least fifty of the creatures stood at the end of the darkened passageway, where the road got wider and seemed bathed in light, due to the torches they carried. They let out a noise, half-growl, half-yell and lunged at them, attacking blindly.

The group immediately started to fight, and reverted to their old tactics, surprised that the creatures did not anticipate their moves this time.

They hacked into them, killing so many, the corpses began to pile around them, giving them little space to maneuver. Both Fiona and Anders were using their magic so fast, they were quickly reaching into their packs to consume lyrium potions as they did, to replenish their mana anew. The rings that the Orlesian Circle of Magi had given them, seemed to be serving their purpose and they did not tire.

Alistair knew they were hardly out of danger, however. The darkspawn they were battling had probably been connecting to other darkspawn through the Taint and as soon as the last one of them fell, he ordered everyone to regroup and get out of there fast.

So they ran, following Alistair and Duran, through crudely dug out tunnels and irregular paths, out to more elaborate and wider roads, once dwarven marvels. They continued to run, till the tingling grew fainter and they were finally out of immediate danger. There was an underground stream up ahead, and they stopped to wash the blood off, and Duran warned the others not to drink from it.

They sat on the ground, catching their breath, resting for a moment and shared a quick meal finishing it off with water from their water skins.

Chantalle rested her head on Alistair's shoulder, and he held her close, his head bent over her, as he absent-mindedly kissed the crown of her head.

"You realize they have pushed us a bit off the route. They are making us go through Ortan Thaig."

Alistair nodded in reply to Duran's comment.

Nobody said anything, but they could sense a certain fear in both Alistair and Duran, while Oghren belched noisily, and this caused them to be wary.

Fiona let out a sigh.

"Ortan Thaig," she murmured, but the rest heard her. "I never would have thought after all these years that I would set foot on it again."

"What is so special about Ortan Thaig?" Anders asked curiously.

"It has spiders," Alistair replied.

"I'm not afraid of a couple of spiders," Anders chided, but his humor vanished when Alistair faced him, the look on his face stopping him from making any further comment.

"Trust me, mage. Those spiders are spiders you will never forget," Duran muttered under his breath.

"Aye. As big as a mabari hound, they are," Oghren chimed in, taking a swig from his brew.

Chantalle turned to Alistair, and he saw the fear in her eyes, which were as round as saucers.

"I hate spiders!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry, my love. I won't let them touch you, I promise," he said, giving her a hug.

"Well, we might as well get going," Fiona urged. "We still have some ground to cover, don't we?"

They all stood up, and followed Alistair and Duran again as they walked into the darkness.

...

"Ortan Thaig," Alistair whispered. In front of him stood the remains of a huge spider and Anders suddenly wished he was back on the surface.

There were no spider webs around, yet the whole place seemed full of dark shadows.

Alistair pointed to a tunnel on his right, indicating the way.

"Don't touch the walls," he said quietly. Chantalle then looked and the walls were covered in some kind of black fungus.

Alistair drew his sword, and the fungus seemed to scurry away for a moment. Behind him Fiona's breath hitched and he spun around to look at her.

"What is it? What did you see?"

"No. Nothing." She shook her head.

Then as he was about to continue his march, her voice stopped him.

"That was King Maric's sword. I recognize it. I saw him use it here."

He stiffened and turned to face her.

"You traveled with Duncan, didn't you?" He refused to believe that his father, a king, had been in the Deep Roads. When she had mentioned travelling with him, he thought it had been to Ferelden.

"I did," she took a deep breath. "I traveled with Duncan, and other wardens. We came here. On a mission."

He turned back to the tunnel and froze at her next words.

"And King Maric led us here. He was the only one who knew where Ortan Thaig was."

...

Fiona's words echoed in his head as they pushed forward, into a nearly black tunnel. He pushed her words out of his mind. He would think about them later.

Their eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, but there was light coming in from above further ahead. It bounced off the dark rock and shone through-

_Maker's blood, are those cobwebs?_

They were. And what was worse, they were newly spun. He remembered this chamber, and he also remembered that the cobwebs had been in a different area altogether, not here.

He heard a clicking noise in the distance and looked up quickly. There they were, multiple eyes gazing down at him.

"Fiona," he said, "Put them to sleep, till we can run into the chamber ahead."

Fiona immediately fired a sleeping spell, and they rushed forward into the chamber, as far as they could from the webs.

They gasped trying to catch their breath and suddenly three spiders dropped from the ceiling above, hissing. Three more dropped behind them, as they moved to surround them, their feet clicking on the stone ground.

Alistair whipped out his sword and shield and the rest followed suit, facing the arachnids. Chantalle was sweating, frozen, as she stared at them.

"Chantalle, love, get behind me!" Alistair urged. "Damn it!" He cursed, as one of the spiders charged directly at her. His shield flashed forward as he overpowered it, and the rest burst into action, attacking and yelling at the arachnids.

The spells worked more effectively against the beasts, and they were relieved to win the battle in a very short time. Their victory was short-lived however. At least a dozen more suddenly dropped all around them, possibly the very ones that Fiona had put to sleep moments before.

Chantalle screamed and Alistair pushed her behind him this time and the others waited for the spiders to close in. Anders shot a blizzard spell over them and they crushed them as they froze, shattering them into hundreds of pieces.

They got no respite. As soon as these were killed, a dozen more took their place. Alistair grimaced as they parried and struck at the creatures, killing them. Fernan got bitten, and Fiona sent a healing spell out to him, soothing him and stopping the poison before it advanced any further. Chantalle stared transfixed at the two gaping holes on his arm, but Fernan continued to fight.

Leliana was firing her arrows accurately never missing a mark. The only thing she repeatedly said was, "The Maker will guide my hand, and I will strike down our enemies."

Chantalle shut her eyes, willing herself to fight. She had to get over this irrational fear and help the rest. Forcing her eyes open, she saw one of the creatures make its way towards an unsuspected Fiona, who was too busy assisting the rest to notice its approach. Chantalle came to life.

She ran towards it, daggers raised, and struck. The spider hissed. Behind her, Alistair swore as he tried to get to her, but a bigger one was attacking him at the moment.

"Dance, Chantalle! Dance for me!" He yelled.

And she danced, and finally killed it, a green substance spurting from its wounds as it lay twitching and finally curled up dead.

And as she stood grinning at him, another spider quickly took its place.

Alistair's proud look quickly turned to one of horror.

"Chantalle, behind you!" He yelled, thrusting his sword deeply into the spider which he had been fighting.

But she turned too slowly and it sank its enormous fangs directly into her back. She smiled sweetly at him as she slumped to the ground, her eyes shut, pale and breathless.

"NO!" Alistair yelled, a catch in his throat. "Fiona!"

Fiona had already turned to Chantalle, and stunned the spider, then sent out an arcane bolt that killed it instantly. She quickly knelt beside her, and as Alistair ran to her, he saw the blue glow emanating from her fingertips as she worked against the spider's venom.

"Chantalle!" He sobbed, kneeling beside her, the tears streaming down his face. The rest finished off the spiders and stood by quietly watching the scene. He turned her gently, her face on his lap.

"Oh, Maker!" He cried out in anguish at the two gaping holes in her back. But as he cried, Fiona worked, and the flesh began to knit itself miraculously. Anders soon joined her, and they worked together. Within minutes the wounds were completely healed and the color returned to her cheeks.

"She will live, Alistair." Fiona announced.

"Thank you, Maker!" Alistair's voice said hoarsely. as he took her hand in his, taking off his gauntlet first.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was his face, looking down at her, tears still glistening on his cheeks.

"Alistair," she murmured, and her hand went up to his cheek, caressing it softly.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again!" He scolded, as he lifted her in his arms and held her gently.

From behind them came Anders's voice.

"When we come back here for our Calling, remind me never to pass this way again..."

Chantalle let out a shaky laugh and Alistair joined her.

And soon all of them were laughing hysterically, the sound reverberating off the walls and echoing into the darkness beyond.

...


	19. The Dead Trenches

**Just to thank JugalettePENNER, Harmakhis, PheonRen and Jinx1983 for their awesome reviews! And to all those of you who have me on your favorite lists and on their alerts. All your support means SO much to me! You all rock! :D **

**A chapter that reveals much more, lol, but still not enough. ;) **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 19 - The Dead Trenches

_It can happen to anyone of us_

_Anyone you think of_

_Anyone can fall_

_Anyone can hurt someone they love_

_Hearts will break_

_'Cause I made a stupid mistake_

_It can happen to anyone of us_

_Say you will forgive me_

_Anyone can fail_

_Say you will believe me_

_I can't take_

_My heart will break_

_'Cause I made a stupid mistake...a stupid mistake_

_Anyone of us - Gareth Gates_

.

.

They met the Legion of the Dead when they arrived at the Dead Trenches. They were standing in front of a bridge. The same bridge where Alistair and Duran had assisted them in fighting darkspawn two years ago.

Thanks to Duran, the Legion was not casteless any longer. As a direct result to this, both Kardol and the rest of the legion members admired Duran more than they dared to admit. Their admiration bordered on adoration. Also, Kardol had personally fought alongside them both against the archdemon on top of Fort Drakon.

So when he saw them approach, he let out an expletive and hurried to give Duran a bear hug, and then turned his attention to Alistair. The men clasped their hands warmly and asked them what they were doing there.

"We're here to find the source of another problem that has started on the surface," Alistair replied candidly. "There are frequent darkspawn attacks and this time Orlais is the nation that is suffering, but that is not important. What is important is that if it isn't stopped, everyone will succumb under the taint."

Kardol looked serious. "Aye. Darkspawn have retreated here. We knew something was up. We don't know why they aren't around, they seemed to be deeper inside. I think they are further down than ever before."

"We'll have to see what they are up to then." Alistair replied.

Kardol whistled. "It's mighty dangerous, but you are grey wardens. When are we leaving then?"

"Wait! What?" He shot back confused.

"You don't think we aren't going with you? We owe you! So we're going. Like it or not," Kardol replied gruffly.

Duran smiled. "You nughumper! Fine! But it could get nasty down there," he beamed at Kardol.

"We live to die fighting. It will be a party to us," Kardol replied grinning.

"Ah, charming! Do I get to wear a party hat now?" Anders drawled.

Chantalle and Leliana both giggled. Anders shot Leliana a look, and she turned away quickly, blushing. But Alistair had seen the blush and he smiled to himself.

"We'll set up camp here, we need to rest and replenish before we leave," Alistair said.

"Take your time. Darkspawn aren't going anywhere," Kardol broke into a loud guffaw.

...

Alistair smiled as Chantalle approached, but kept his eyes focused on Fiona.

"My love," she crooned as he enveloped her in his arms. "Thanks for all you did back there. I thought I was going to-"

"Don't you dare say it," he warned gruffly as he bent his head to kiss her on the lips.

The kiss was long and passionate. Alistair wished they were back at the inn, and tightened his grip on her. He needed her desperately, but slowly broke away from the kiss and looked deeply into her lovely blue eyes, breathing heavily.

"You have no idea how much I want and need you. I love you so much," he murmured, before holding her close again and kissing the crown of her head.

They were quiet for a time. Then Chantalle spoke. Her words made his blood run cold.

"The darkspawn wanted me down here didn't they? Why else would they rape and not kill me? I want to know Alistair. Please tell me."

Alistair sighed deeply.

"Yes, they raped you for a reason. There is a very dark reason why some women are spared. They are turned into broodmothers."

She looked up at him frowning.

"What is a broodmother?"

"A darkspawn that creates other darkspawn. It must be a female. Elves create shrieks, humans create hurlocks, dwarves create genlocks and Qunari create ogres. The women taken underground are raped constantly by the darkspawn. They are forced to drink tainted blood and eat the flesh of their victims, among other things. Horrible things," he shuddered, and his grip on her tightened briefly.

"They wanted to turn me into a broodmother?"

"Yes, Chantalle. The only way to save you was through the Joining, love," he whispered, caressing her hair and back.

She did not reply to this and they stood there holding each other, lost in their thoughts, till Anders called them over for a hot meal.

...

They chatted while they ate, but Alistair was still staring at Fiona, and Chantalle noticed this.

"Is everything all right? Now _you_ are the one staring at her," she smiled.

"Oh!" He blushed slightly. "Yes. Just thinking."

"You are thinking about what she said? About how your father was the only one who knew the way to Ortan Thaig?"

"Yes, that's one of the things I'm thinking," he smiled, but Chantalle could see that the smile did not reach his eyes.

"What is it, my love?"

"Come with me. It's time I had a chat with Fiona," Alistair answered simply, taking his hand in hers.

They walked over to where Fiona was sitting in front of the fire, and sat down beside her.

Fiona smiled brightly at Alistair and he returned the smile, although it was not as bright as hers.

"Fiona?" Alistair began, his voice shaking slightly. He was nervous about something. Even Fiona could tell and she frowned. She felt she knew what he wanted to talk about.

"Yes, Alistair?" Her voice barely a whisper.

"Um...you said my father was here in the Deep Roads with you and Duncan?"

"That is correct," she tilted her head, and waited, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I've never wanted to talk about my father. He just..." Alistair took a deep breath, "Well, I think he was a selfish man, who pushed me aside when I was a baby. I was the product of his indiscretion with a scullery maid, who died after she gave birth to me. He wanted me out of the way, so he gave me to Arl Eamon to raise, and- well, I wasn't very happy there. I slept in the stables. And when we visited Denerim, I slept with the dogs. The arl was kind to me, but he never really saw me. You see, he- he married an Orlesian woman, and she hated me. She thought I was his bastard son. She felt threatened by my presence. I- well, I ended up feeling rejected and unwanted. And then, after I was ten, I was sent off to the Chantry. The arl did come to visit me for a time, but I always treated him badly. I felt bitter and blamed him for everything."

Her heart went out to him and she could feel it cracking under the pain she was feeling.

Maker's blood! Had she been so mistaken in giving him to Maric and making him promise that he would never know who she was? The promise for him to grow away from court? Not knowing about how his father really felt? She had only tried to keep him away from all the hypocrisy, away from Cailan and any possible rivalry between siblings, away from becoming a king, and the burden it meant. She had seen Maric carry this burden, and she didn't want her son to carry it! She had only wanted a normal life for him!

"I'm sorry, Alistair," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry you had such a bad life. I-" And then Fiona found she could not keep the tears in any longer. She broke down, her sobs making her body shake, her grief surprising Alistair and causing him to feel terribly sad and guilty for somehow having caused her tears.

"Hey! No, now. Don't cry, please! I didn't want to make you cry." He reached out and touched her shoulder, patting it softly.

But she continued to cry stormily, the sobs making her chest heave, her small frame shaking with the effort.

So Alistair pulled her gently into his arms, and she clung to him, wordlessly. She could not tell him how much she loved him. She could not express in words how sorry she was, how guilty she felt. She could not tell him the truth of who she was. She could only cling to him and continue to sob onto his chest.

He patted her back and slowly the tears began to subside. Chantalle got some water and gave it to her. She smiled gratefully at her and drank, sitting back up.

When the tears had subsided, she looked at Alistair, groping for the right words to say.

"You mustn't think your father didn't want you Alistair. You mustn't be so quick to judge him. Sometimes people have to do things they will regret forever. Sometimes it's the only way to go. Your father was a courageous, kind and good man. He was a good friend to me and the rest of the wardens. He fought and defended us bravely. And he nearly died to save my life many times here in the Deep Roads."

"You...loved him, didn't you?" Alistair asked softly, looking at her gently.

"Yes. We all loved him. He was an easy man to love."

Alistair could not think of a suitable reply. His mind was reeling from all the information that he had just been fed. He just sat there, staring into the distance, brooding.

"Well, Commander," Anders's voice cut through his reverie. "Everyone is now talking about setting out to get this over and done with. Are we ready?"

Alistair stood up, squared his shoulders and nodded.

"We are more than ready. Let's go find this Beloved and give him what he deserves."

...

They trudged on stopping only to eat and sleep. It seemed like days had gone by for them. There was no sun here to help them judge how much time had gone by.

They had reached the lower caverns in the underground. Tunnels dug out here had been dug out by darkspawn. The walls were covered in the thick oozing black fungus, it pulsated and seemed to reach out to the group. Alistair drew his sword automatically and the fungus resided, seemingly desperate to get away from the sword's magic. He kept it drawn at all times from that moment on.

He wondered why they hadn't been attacked. He could feel them clearly now, and knew that they could feel him. The only reason he could think of was what the talking darkspawn had told them back in Orlais. They were not fighting them. They were keeping away.

Presently, they arrived at a very large cavern. The tingling now had turned into a distinct humming and Alistair knew they were very close. There was a long wide crevice ahead. Alistair walked up to it and gazed down. The rest followed silently.

They gazed upon hundreds of darkspawn, illuminated by torch light. There could be no mistake about what they were doing.

They were digging.

A voice echoed through the cavern, making them spin around on the spot. The legionnaires growled and fell into a defensive stance.

"Lower your weapons," A cloaked figure, with a hood over its head said. "We mean no harm. We wish to talk."

"Talking darkspawn!" Kardol managed to yell. "Well, it don't matter to me! Still a darkspawn. Still bleeds and dies."

"No," Alistair stopped him as he stepped out to the front of the line. "I want to talk to him. Just wait here."

Kardol was surprised to say the least, but he faltered when Duran nodded at him and held on to his weapon arm, forcing it down.

"At ease, soldiers," Kardol barked. Then he turned back to Duran. "You'd better have a good reason for this!" He muttered darkly, shooting angry glances in Alistair's direction.

Alistair said nothing, turning back to the figure that had spoken. He then advanced towards him slowly, the darkspawn surrounding him, gnashing their teeth but keeping their distance. They soon parted leaving a path that led directly up to the cloaked figure.

Alistair stopped a distance away from it.

"I am the Warden Commander of Ferelden. I spoke to one of your own, and it told me to seek out 'The Beloved' here. It told me that 'The Beloved' was your leader. Do you know 'The Beloved'?" He spoke loudly and could be heard clearly, his voice unwavering.

"Yes." The cloaked figure replied. "I know the Beloved." It paused, and lifted putrid arms to its hood, taking it off slowly to reveal a face that was so similar to The Architect, that Alistair's breath hitched, and fear gripped his heart momentarily.

"I am 'The Beloved'." The cloaked figure said.

And then it smiled.

...


	20. The Deal

**First of all, I want to thank Megglesnake, PheonRen, Warrose, and Jinx1983 for their awesome reviews! You guys rock! :D **

**A short but very intense chapter! **

**Bioware owns! ;) **

Chapter 20 - The Deal

_Believe me baby got your name carved on my soul  
'Cause You're the only one that I'll give it to  
Go let 'em say that I'm I fool to act this way  
'Cause if I'm crazy, I'm just crazy 'bout you.  
I'd lie for you and that's the truth  
Do anything you ask me to  
I'd even sell my soul for you  
I'd do it all for you  
If you'd just believe in me  
Meat loaf - I'd lie for you_

.

.

Alistair bristled visibly as he eyed the Beloved, his eyes narrowing slightly. The Beloved sensed his anger and its smile deepened into a grin.

"I do not wish to harm any of you. But if you attack, I may not be able to control my people," it made a noise and Alistair realized that it was laughing.

"You said you wanted to talk. So talk," he spit out, his voice full of venom.

The Beloved gave a nod and eyed him back, clearly amused at his demeanor.

"Very well. Let me tell you that the threat you are facing is far greater than you realize. We are but a small group. A faction of your enemies. But enough of that later. For the moment, I wish to tell you that the reason we have for attacking is to simply be noticed. For I have a plan. I feel my plan will greatly benefit not only my people but your own."

"Spare me the details," Alistair said, his voice harsh and cold. "I know what you are about to say. I met and heard The Architect. I know what you want."

"You were the Grey Warden that killed The Architect, yes?" The Beloved smiled, his eyes glinting madly in the half-light.

"Yes, I was. And I still don't see why you want to talk. You had better say something that is worthy of my attention before I decide to cut off your head like I did to your predecessor."

The Beloved's face contorted with anger at his words, while Alistair smirked. In a flash, something shot out of his hands, and Alistair suddenly doubled over with pain, while clutching his stomach. Chantalle gave a cry and ran to his side, putting her arms on his shoulders, trying to help. Fiona strode to where Alistair stood, her staff at the ready.

"Enough!" She yelled at him, her eyes dark and dangerous. "If you wish us to listen to your plan, you should stop what you are doing."

The Beloved stared at her and Alistair fell to the ground breathing heavily, but no longer in pain. He stood up with the help of both Fiona and Chantalle and continued to stare at it.

"And who might you be?" The Beloved asked, its tongue licking where its lips once were.

"I am the leader of this mission. I demand to know what it is that you want," Fiona replied loudly and calmly.

"What I want is something we all want. A chance to end all the Blights. Isn't that what Grey Wardens want? To finally end it all?" It advanced slowly, till it was closer, yet not so close as Alistair would have liked. He longed to put his hands on its throat and strangle it.

"I sense the Warden Commander wishes to harm me. If this happens, then you will not survive what is happening on the surface," The Beloved said quietly.

Alistair gave a growl of anger, but both Fiona and Chantalle held on to him, and he did not charge as he wanted to.

"Your two females are wise. One, a lover, the other a mother," Fiona's eyes widened with horror. She dared not look at Alistair. "But that is not what I wish to speak about. You know what the Architect wanted. I wish to continue his legacy. I need the blood of the Grey Wardens in order to do that. But aside from that, I wish to stop the carnage happening on the surface. For it is not I you should be fighting. There is another that is attacking your forces at Weisshaupt Fortress. He is the one you should be wary of."

"What do you mean? Don't you command the darkspawn who are attacking Weisshaupt as well?" Alistair asked.

"No. The one who commands them is called The General. He wishes to destroy all Grey Wardens. He is looking for something. Something valuable to him. Something that your companion is responsible for." It pointed past Alistair, whose gaze followed the long finger. The finger that was clearly pointing at Duran.

Duran shifted uncomfortably. Alistair knew what this was about.

"The General is looking for the child?" He asked immediately, not letting Duran speak out.

"Yes. They wish to corrupt the Old God's soul," The Beloved confirmed.

...

"What is your plan?" Alistair asked and saw out of the corner of his eye how Fiona turned to look at him with disbelief.

"Are you saying you will agree to it?" The Beloved asked.

"Just tell me," Alistair shot back. "And tell me what you know about the General's plan as well."

"Very well. The General is distracting the wardens. Fights but not with all the soldiers. The General knows that the Old God is somewhere between Orlais and Weisshaupt, but has no real indication of where. It is not as advanced as I am in these matters. The General wishes to destroy all the wardens. But wants the child first. If The General finds the child, all the wardens in Weisshaupt die. The soldiers will make sure of this."

Alistair felt something like pure terror at the Beloved's words. The scale of this was like another Blight. But this time, he could do nothing to put an end to it. There was no telling when they would find Morrigan and her child, it was merely a matter of time, and he knew how long it took to rally forces in order to fight a horde. He would not be able to make it there with a suitable army to assist. Weisshaupt would be fighting a losing war. There were simply not enough wardens, and too many darkspawn.

"I see the Warden Commander understands," the Beloved said, its features once again imitating a smile.

"I understand perfectly," came Alistair's answer. Beside him, Fiona straightened herself up to her full height. "What is it you wish in return? Some of my blood, right?"

"Yes. The blood of a Grey Warden, and I will send my troops to fight the General and its soldiers. I will make sure all die or flee back here to their home. I will not stop until the General dies."

"How much time do I have to decide?" Alistair asked, his throat dry.

"You can discuss it with your people now, but I will not leave until you tell me what your decision is," The Beloved replied.

Alistair nodded once and turned to his group. His eyes fell on Duran, who was avoiding making eye contact with him.

"I told you nothing good could ever come out of what you did," he said quietly, his anger simmering. "But I'll not blame you, we have a worse problem on our hands."

"I say kill them and get it over with!" Kardol bellowed angrily.

"If that happens, we all die, and everyone on the surface as well. Is this what you really want?" Duran asked Kardol. Kardol lowered his gaze. He did not have an answer to this. "It is not your decision to make anyway. This falls under a much larger scale. You do not live on the surface, you do not see what the people there are suffering."

"You left the dwarves, you know how we suffer here. I will not intervene. I will leave you now," Kardol growled and ordered his men out. "Goodbye my friends. I hope the ancestors favor you, whatever decision you make."

And he left, following his legionnaires out of the chamber.

"Well, now that that is taken care of, let us return to the problem at hand," Alistair said between clenched teeth. "No more distractions this time." He turned back to the Beloved and advanced to stand in front of it.

"I have reached a decision," he said, his shoulders squared.

But before he could utter a word, Fiona cried out and stood in front of him.

"Let it be my blood. I will give my blood," she cried out.

...

"No, Fiona, what are you doing?" Alistair hissed at her.

"Enough Alistair. We do not have another way out. I know what I am doing!" She hissed back, her eyes dark and resolute.

The Beloved stared at her curiously, much like staring at an interesting insect.

"I do not sense the Taint in you. You are not what I want." It said.

"You do not sense it because I have devised a seal of protection against others sensing me through the years. The magic is there, reach out and feel it. I will not let you in. But the Taint is there. I assure you." Fiona replied smugly.

The Beloved chanted a spell and his hands flung out in front of him. Fiona flinched for a moment but then stood straighter, and a soft blue glow emanated from her body.

After a while, Fiona relaxed as the Beloved straightened also.

"You speak truthfully. I can sense the seal around you and cannot break it. What kind of magic is that?"

"Very ancient magic, Beloved. Far greater than yours," Fiona shot back quickly.

The Beloved's grin was back. It made her blood crawl, but she kept her stance and did not flinch.

"Very well. I accept," it said.

"Not so fast. First you must send your horde to battle the General and its soldiers at Weisshaupt. I will not give you my blood until they are all dead or gone. And I wish proof that the General is dead first," Fiona said. "That is our deal. Take it or leave it. Take it or you die here."

The Beloved made a noise that Alistair recognized as laughter. It looked totally amused and did not speak for some time.

"I was prepared for something like this to happen. Very well. I will give the orders to my people. They will fight against their kin on the surface. You will return to Orzammar and wait there for me to contact you. You will know when the General is dead from me. Then you will return here, and I shall take some of your blood."

"No," Fiona replied back quickly. "I will return to Orlais. I will not remain here." Steely, unflinching determination written all over her face. "If you wish to contact me, you will do so there. I will come then and give you your precious blood, but you must meet me in Orlais for this, and remember, I need to confirm that the General is dead."

The Beloved's eyes narrowed. For a moment it seemed to Alistair that it would not agree. But after a while it nodded at Fiona.

Fiona nodded back at it. Then she turned to Alistair and everyone else.

"I believe this is our cue to leave, wardens," she said, her voice hard and cold.

And without another word, she placed her staff behind her back and strode out of the chamber into the dark tunnel beyond, the rest following in her wake silently.

...

**A/N: Just remember what Fiona said to them before about the Taint in her, lol. It's important! ;) **


	21. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Just to thank Harmakhis, Warrose, PheonRen and Jinx1983 for their awesome reviews! You guys make my day! :D **

**Ok, this is the sh*t-hits-the-fan chapter! LOL **

**Bioware, you own and I play with your characters, haha! :P **

Chapter 21 - The Truth Will Set You Free

_Forgive, sounds good  
Forget, I'm not sure I could  
They say time heals everything  
But I'm still waiting  
I'm through with doubt  
There's nothing left for me to figure out  
I've paid a price  
And I'll keep paying  
I'm not ready to make nice  
I'm not ready to back down  
I'm still mad as hell and  
I don't have time to go round and round and round  
It's too late to make it right  
I probably wouldn't if I could  
'Cause I'm mad as hell  
Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should  
Dixie Chicks - I'm not ready to make nice_

.

.

.

They did not stop to camp as they had previously, but rather walked as fast as they could, focusing only on the thought of leaving the Deep Roads as quickly as possible. They only stopped to eat and drink water from time to time, and did not speak, all of them were lost in their private thoughts.

As soon as they found their way in the Commons, they set off towards the inn they were staying at, where they ordered some food and drink and sat at a table. Once they had eaten a hot meal, Alistair fixed his eyes on Fiona who was looking tired and stressed out.

He didn't care. He wanted the truth.

"So, Fiona," he said, a bitterness in his voice that made her start up and gaze at him sadly. "Did you know my mother too?"

"Alistair," Leliana's sweet voice interrupted him from further speech. "I think you should have this conversation once we are all rested. Right now we are too tired to-"

"No!" Alistair's fist pounded on the stone table, and his face flushed with anger, his eyes flashing. "I want her to answer my question, Leliana! And you best stay out of this!"

Fiona did not cringe. She just sat there, the expression on her eyes was so infinitely sad, that Chantalle gave a small gasp.

Whether Alistair heard or pretended not to hear, is not certain. What is certain is that the intensity of his glare stopped anyone from uttering another sound.

Fiona cleared her throat and sighed.

"Yes, Alistair. I knew your mother very well," she replied.

"You did, did you?" Alistair's voice cracked. "I want to hear it from you then. Go on. Finish what you started twenty-four years ago. I don't care anymore!"

"What I started?" Fiona asked. "Are you going to use the same judgment against me that you gave your father?"

"Are you telling me that you don't feel ANYTHING for what you did?" Alistair's voice raised slightly. He was trembling now and Chantalle moved closer to him and tried to put her hand in his. He pushed it away roughly and she gave another gasp.

He did not care. He was past caring and breathing heavily as he faced Fiona.

"You gave me away! How could you? How could you let me grow up believing a lie? How could you say my mother was dead? Why? Why did you do it? TELL ME!" His fist descended on the stone table again, this time with a resounding crack. Anders started. He could tell he'd broken some bones from the sound and the way he had winced.

Fiona stood up quickly, her anger now evident on her face. Alistair did the same. Everyone stared at them. They not only could clearly see the resemblance between the two of them, but also the dangerous glint in their eyes.

"Alistair, stop!" Chantalle shouted. "Anger will fix nothing! You must first understand why she did this. Stop treating her so badly!"

"Stop treating her badly, huh?" Alistair turned to Chantalle, his eyes still flashing angrily. "Did she stop to think what she was doing to me?"

"She told us that wardens are forced to give up their children! She didn't have a choice!" Chantalle replied, now standing to face him and angry herself.

He calmed down when he saw this and his gaze softened. In fact, he felt for a moment that he was melting under her angry stare.

"Well, Alistair. Since you already have an opinion of me, there is little I can do to change it, correct?" Fiona spoke up, bringing Alistair back to the present. She was still angry, but her voice was dangerously quiet. Alistair felt his anger flare up again.

"I was the one who made your father promise me that you would be raised away from court, away from any sibling rivalry because your father had already had Cailan. I didn't want you on the throne, if by any chance the burden happened to fall on you. It was enough that the throne turned your father into an unhappy, lonely man. You are also forgetting I hate nobility. You know very well that a noble bought me at the slave market when I was seven. The things he did to me were enough for me to hate nobility. But then I met your father and he changed that. Since Duncan was there that day, holding **YOU** in his arms and promised to watch over you, I felt that I was making the right choice somehow. What kind of life would **YOU** have had if I left the wardens to take care of you? Living with _an elf _like a half-breed?" She spat out the word 'elf', her chest heaving so fast, it was making her breathing come in gasps.

Her breathing hitching, her voice trembling slightly, she carried on. "You don't know how it tore me up inside, but obviously you'll never believe that! I didn't have a choice. I wanted _you_ to have a choice to grow up away from it all. I didn't want you to know that your mother was an elf! Elves don't get to choose the way they live. They don't get a chance to be happy. So hate me all you want! I am _done_ here!"

And with those words, she left the table and did not look back.

And Alistair Theirin turned and left the table himself, willing himself to break into a run. Not stopping. Not even when Chantalle called out his name.

He ran until his breathing came in painful gasps and he found himself on the surface again. He breathed in the cool mountain air, and walked towards the center of the surface dwarves' settlement, where there was a food and drink stand. He sat on one of the wooden stools there and then he ordered some ale. He ignored the pain shooting from his broken hand towards his brain.

And he drank a pint. Then another. And another.

Sometimes there just isn't enough ale to heal the wounds.

...

It was a very drunk Alistair who head over to the inn later that night. He stumbled along the way, muttering to himself, swaying on his feet. Soon his feet led him to a stand in the Commons.

"Hey, you!" He drawled out to the merchant there. "You have any precious stones here?"

The dwarf scowled at the drunken human. "You'd best ask again when you are sober," he growled.

"Are you threatening me?" Alistair said belligerently.

"No, I'm not. I'm simply giving you some advice," The merchant replied, his face still in a scowl.

"There you are!" Duran's voice was heard behind Alistair, who turned and swayed on his feet.

"Duran! You have to help me. See, this merchant doesn't want to answer my question," he slurred.

"I can see why. You're drunk," Duran answered, a hint of amusement barely noticeable in his voice.

"I had a few drinks, sure. But I have gold! And I _need_ to get a stone for this ring! I need to propose to Chantalle, and I can't do it without a ring!" He complained, while taking out the silverite ring from his pocket and showing it to Duran who was now smiling.

"Well, all right. Since you are so set on it." Alistair grinned at him, his eyes lighting up. Duran turned to the sour-faced merchant now. "What stones do you have to set in this ring?"

"I don't want anything big, cause of her leather gauntlets. I want her to be able to wear it and still be able to -"

"All right, Alistair, I get it. Now let me talk!" Duran interrupted impatiently, turning back to the merchant. "Well? We haven't got all night man!" Duran said impatiently.

"I have a very small diamond here, and some sapphires. They are tiny, but should fit well into the ring. I can do it all for ten sovereigns." The merchant replied, trying to keep his voice above Alistair's, who was singing, "Sapphires! Sapphires! Her eyes are like two sapphires!"

"Ten sovereigns? You must be insane!" Duran barked. "I'll give you five, take it or leave it!"

"Fine, fine!" The merchant growled and took the coins and the ring from Alistair's hand. "It will be ready in two days."

"We don't have two days. I'll throw in an extra sovereign if you have it done by tomorrow afternoon," said Duran.

"All right! Now kindly leave and let me work in peace!" The dwarf replied.

"Come on, Alistair, let's get you back. Duran patted his arm and Alistair followed Duran back to the inn, stumbling over his feet every now and then.

...

Anders met them at the entrance. He whipped out his staff and without waiting for Alistair to react, shot him a spell that flung him onto the stone ground on his buttocks.

"Ow!" Alistair shouted, looking up at him with a hurt expression on his face. "What did you do that for?"

"I wanted to sober you up a bit," Anders grinned. "Also because you were an arse at the table."

He approached him and his hands went over Alistair's broken hand, as he healed it and the bones slowly, and painfully, knitted together.

"Ow again!" Alistair complained. "Are you going to burn me next?"

"Stop your belly-aching, Alistair. He's healing your hand, you oaf!" Duran exclaimed.

Alistair stood up. He was feeling better and his brain had cleared again. Whatever spell Anders had flung at him had worked. He was sober.

"I treated Chantalle very badly, didn't I?" Alistair said sadly. "And...Fiona too." He added as an afterthought.

"Well, I didn't know you were _that_ smart, Alistair. Obviously you have just chosen to keep all that intelligence from us all this time," Anders smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Ha ha. So funny," Alistair grumbled. "The point here is that I have to fix things now. I'll head off to my room first and talk to Chantalle. I hope she listens to me."

"It's rather late now, and she's probably asleep, but I doubt she'll be able to listen to you in _your_ room, my friend," Anders remarked, giving Alistair another smirk.

"What do you mean?" Alistair demanded. He then stopped talking as realization hit him. Running to his room, he flung the door open wide, the two men following him as he walked into the room.

All of Chantalle's things were gone.

...

Alistair groaned as he sat on the chair next to the only table in the room, and he put his head in his hands.

"Alistair, you'll have to talk to her tomorrow. Both she and Fiona will have simmered down by then."

"I can't wait till tomorrow. I won't be able to sleep!" He said, groaning again, looking up at his two friends.

"Well, you just can't barge into the room and wake them up, now can you?" Anders replied.

"What? They're staying in the same room together?" Alistair asked standing up quickly.

"Of course they are, but-"

"Thank the Maker!" He exclaimed and rushed out the room towards Fiona's.

He knocked on the door. "Chantalle, I know you are there. Please open the door," he said, breaking out in a nervous sweat.

No reply.

"Look, I know I was an arse back there. I want to talk to Fiona too. I want to say how sorry I am."

Still no reply.

"I'm not leaving till you open this door!" Alistair called out.

"Hey!" Another door opened at the end of the corridor. "Could you please keep the noise down? Some of us actually _sleep_ at night, you know!"

"Um, sorry about that," Alistair replied as the dwarf slammed the door angrily.

"Chantalle!" He said again, his voice a bit lower. "Please, please, open the door! You have no idea how sorry I am. Please!"

The sound of the door unlocking could be heard and Alistair gave a sigh of relief. Then it was flung open.

But it wasn't Chantalle who was standing there looking up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

It was Fiona.


	22. Picking Up The Pieces

**I want to thank all of you for your awesome reviews: Jinx1983, Warrose, PheonRen, Megglesnake and Harmakhis, you all rock. :D **

**Bioware owns, yeah, right! :D **

Chapter 22 - Picking Up The Pieces

_Saw the world turning in my sheets  
and once again I cannot sleep.  
Walk out the door and up the street  
look at the stars beneath my feet.  
Remember rights that I did wrong, so here I go.  
Hello, hello. There is no place I cannot go.  
My mind is muddy but my heart is heavy. Does it show?  
I lose the track that loses me, so here I go.  
I'm not calling for a second chance,  
I'm screaming at the top of my voice.  
Give me reason but don't give me choice.  
'Cause I'll just make the same mistake again.  
Same mistake - James Blunt_

.

.

Fiona stood there quietly, looking up into Alistair's eyes. Alistair looked deeply into hers for a moment, then blurted his next words out.

"I'm sorry! I should have realized that you _did_ - um- _do_ love me and that you only wanted-"

"It's all right, Alistair. I'd have reacted exactly the same way. Maybe even worse. You have every right to be angry. And if I had been angrier, well. I'm sure you know that when a mage gets angry, sometimes magic can get out of hand. Fortunately, I kept it under control back there," she said quietly.

"We have a lot to talk about," Alistair said quietly, the corners of his lips turning upwards as he gave her a smile.

"Yes, that we do. But the hour is late, and I think we should get some sleep, so that when we talk next, the words make some sense," she hadn't moved, and kept her body in front of him. He was a lot taller, however, and his eyes searched the room for Chantalle.

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Alistair. I'm sorry," Fiona spoke again, gently this time.

"But-"

"You are very stubborn. I daresay you inherited _that _from me as well," Fiona sighed.

His eyes gazed into hers, where he found a spark of amusement. He was surprised at that.

"_That _as well? What else did I inherit from you?" His eyebrow shot up.

"Your anger, of course," Fiona sniffed, and then continued talking. "It's best that you leave, Alistair. Everything will be better later."

"But-"

"Alistair, please. We must get some rest. Try to trust me once for a change. I know I probably don't deserve your trust, but just try."

Her words had the desired effect. Alistair swallowed and nodded his head, looking like a beaten puppy. Fiona softened.

"It will be all right, Alistair," she whispered. "Have some faith."

And she closed the door.

Alistair stood there staring at the door for a few minutes. He felt the sadness taking over and there was a lump in his throat. From beyond the door, he heard Chantalle break into tears and start crying, Fiona's soothing words completely drowned out by his own feelings.

His heart had broken into a million pieces.

...

_Maker help me. If I lose Chantalle, then I might as well die. As we are already in the Deep Roads, I'd consider walking into darkspawn to end it all, but I don't know if they would attack me, with the whole deal we've just made with The Beloved. Oh yes. I haven't written about that yet, have I? _

_Fiona made a deal with the Beloved. The Beloved is a highly intelligent darkspawn, much like the Architect, the only difference being that The Beloved is stupid. It truly believed Fiona when she said that she still carried the Taint. I must admit, I truly admire her, and the ruse she played. It has enabled us to gain a small victory for the moment. _

_The Beloved's army will defeat the General and his army. Oh. I forgot to write that, didn't I? The General is also a 'highly intelligent' darkspawn. He is the one attacking the wardens at Weisshaupt. He is searching for Morrigan's child, who is the result of the Ritual Duran performed with her in order for us to slay the Archdemon and live. The soul of the Old God now inhabits Morrigan's child. And that is what The General is after. I swear this just gets better and better. _

_The Beloved wants something entirely different. He wants the blood of a warden to continue the Architect's work. _

_Maker help me, I can't even write coherently. The only thing that seems important to me right now is Chantalle. The rest matters little. Well, that is not entirely true. I confirmed today that one of my parents at least, is alive. _

_Fiona is my mother. My real mother. Somehow something inside me already knew that. Maybe I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I don't know. I do know I should try to control my stupid temper because I pushed Chantalle away because of it! I shouldn't have done that. _

_But I did. _

_And now I may have ruined everything with her. Because of my anger and stupidity. _

He flung down the quill, shutting the journal with disgust, and the tears started again. Bending his head down and placing his forehead on his arms, which were crossed on the table, he cried quietly, until exhaustion finally claimed him and he dozed off.

The next morning when he woke up, he stood up quickly, looking around for Chantalle wildly. Then the memory of what had happened came crashing down at him and he sat back down, his shoulders slumped.

"Hey, Commander!" Anders's voice came through the door as he knocked. "We're waiting for you for breakfast.

Alistair stood up and opened the door.

"I'm not having breakfast," he replied in a monotone.

"You'd better shave and bathe. You stink," Anders replied, wrinkling his nose.

Alistair's sad gaze turned into a glare.

"Are you here to just make me feel worse?" He hissed.

"No. I don't think you can feel any worse, to tell you the truth," Anders replied, pushing past him and walking into the room.

Alistair sighed as he faced the inevitable. It looked like he would have to be putting up with Anders after all. He closed the door and sat down at the table again.

"Look, Alistair. I know you must feel really badly. But Chantalle can't stay upset at you. She loves you," Anders sat down on the other chair facing Alistair. "Now, I took the liberty of ordering you some hot water for a bath. And you will shave and get dressed afterwards, because you have to talk to her."

"I suppose that's true," Alistair said frowning. "I'm so afraid to make things worse."

"You can't possibly make it worse, Alistair. We still have things to do against the darkspawn. Fiona says we're to set off for Orlais tomorrow." Anders smiled. "Besides, you are unbelievably lucky."

"Lucky? How so?" He asked, half-dreading his answer.

"There is nothing better than make-up sex. Just ask Oghren," A wolfish grin appeared on Anders's face and Alistair groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

There was another knock on the door and without waiting for an answer, Duran walked into the room, closing it behind him.

"Hey there, Alistair! What's that shit on your face?" He chirped, his eyes twinkling.

Alistair shot him a look and rubbed his chin, which was now completely covered in stubble.

"I haven't shaved...yet," he said, throwing a wayward glance at Anders, who was grinning.

"Oh, hey there, mage. How's it going?" Duran said cheerfully.

"You are just in time, my friend," Anders's said chuckling. "I was just telling our Commander here that Chantalle loves him and to stop feeling so sorry for himself."

"He-ey! I'm _not_ feeling sorry for myself!" Alistair cried out indignantly, straightening up.

"That's-my-boy," Duran patted his arm, while he sat on the last available chair in the room.

"I know things may seem terrible now, Alistair. But once you two make up, you will be transported into the realm of delight. There is _nothing_ in the world like make-up sex," Anders commented, a dreamy look on his face.

"What?" Alistair managed to get out, sounding deeply embarrassed to have to listen to that again.

"It's true! Just ask Oghren."

"That is _so_ not what I want to hear right now," Alistair shuddered with disgust.

"Whatever," Anders replied as there was another knock on the door.

Alistair sighed and stood up to open it.

Three maids stood there with pails of hot water. He smiled at them, opening the door wider and in they went.

"Well, all right. Just leave me alone while I bathe, okay? I'll be down afterwards," he said as they filled the tub behind the screen with hot water.

"Oh, no you don't. We are here to make sure you _do_ bathe and get yourself ready. We're not leaving without you." Duran spoke up this time.

The maids left the room, and shut the door behind them.

"All right, all right," he said, totally annoyed at them, as he stepped behind the screen. "But once I'm done, I hope that Anders doesn't continue to talk about Oghren and his -er- _sex_ life."

...

They all made their way to the dining area in the inn. Chantalle wasn't there.

"Chantalle isn't here!" Alistair turned to them whispering. The rest of the wardens flung a cheerful hello at him and he managed a weak smile.

"No, she's in Fiona's room," Duran replied, speaking out of the corner of his mouth and giving Alistair a shove in Fiona's direction, who sat at the table sipping tea. "Just sit next to Fiona and talk to her."

He smiled at Fiona, who smiled back and sat down next to her.

"So," he said, and then he stopped, unsure of what to say next.

"So, did you sleep well, Alistair?" Fiona asked, her eyes warm on his.

"I didn't," he replied truthfully, "but thanks for asking."

Fernan and Marcus excused themselves from the table, announcing that they had to go do some shopping.

Alistair waved them away with a half-smile, and turned back to Fiona.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" He asked her, and Leliana snorted. He turned to her, and reddened slightly. "I snapped at you last night. Will you forgive me?"

"Oh, Alistair, there is nothing to forgive! You were angry, and I understand. I know you didn't mean what you said to me!" Leliana answered. Anders stared at her, the look on his face unreadable at the moment.

"Alistair, Chantalle loves you, but she is afraid. Your anger frightened her last night. She's worried that it may happen again, and of what could happen should you ever be angry at her," Fiona said thoughtfully.

"Maker's breath! I could never be angry at her! Last night, I even controlled myself when she talked to me, I actually felt that I was cooling down," Alistair cried out, the words tumbling out of his mouth non-stop. "I love her too much. She is everything to me."

"Alistair, we know that. And she loves you too. But you should try to control that temper of yours, which unfortunately is the same thing I keep repeating to myself from time to time," Fiona sighed. "I'm so sorry I didn't speak to you sooner about everything. I was very afraid of your reaction. And you did react much like I expected you would. I think you had every right to react the way you did."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that too. Truly. I don't know if I had a right, I mean...can anger ever truly be justified? But I do know I pushed Chantalle away, and _that_ is unacceptable. It was a mistake to do that," he added.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bad mother. It's my fault that you felt so unhappy and bitter almost all your life-" Fiona began to say, but Alistair raised his hand to stop her while shaking his head. Fiona smiled then. "We have wasted too much precious time on this. We should make up the time we've lost together as mother and son, don't you think?"

"Yes. I think-I'd...I'd like that very much," Alistair stammered out. There was so much emotion in his voice, that Fiona felt the tears well up in her eyes.

Alistair saw the unshed tears in her eyes, and without saying another word, gathered his mother into his arms for the first time in his life.

He did not let her go for a long time.

He finally felt that he was wanted and loved by a parent.

He had a mother.

And he intended to keep her by his side.

Maker take the Weisshaupt wardens if they dared to lay a finger on her. He would kill each and every one of them if he needed to.

He would never let her go back there. He would never let her go.

Ever.

...

**A/N: Alistair feels that he finally has a chance at having a relationship with a parent. This is one of the main reasons for writing this fic. I wanted to explore this, as I felt angry myself (and shocked) when I discovered about Fiona! **


	23. Chantalle

**Thank you Lady Callia, megglesnake, PheonRen, Jinx1983 and Warrose for your awesome reviews! **

**This chapter contains smut, and is explicit, so fair warning! MATURE CONTENT AHEAD! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 23 - Chantalle

_Baby, I'm-a want you  
Baby, I'm-a need you  
You the only one I care enough to hurt about  
Maybe I'm-a crazy  
But I just can't live without...  
Your lovin' and affection  
Givin' me direction  
Like a guiding light to help me through a darkest hour  
Lately I'm a-prayin'  
That you'll always be a-stayin' beside me_

_Baby I'm-a want you-Bread_

.

.

Fiona ended up telling Alistair that she would try to convince Chantalle to at least talk to him. His face lit up hopefully as he followed her up to her room. She pushed him back gently, nodding silently to the wall beside the door, and Alistair understood and was soon hidden from the door that was about to open.

Chantalle opened the door as soon as she heard Fiona's voice, then closed it again and locked it. Fiona turned to inspect her. She was looking as terrible as Alistair had this morning.

Her eyes were puffy and red, from all the crying and lack of sleep. She felt miserable without Alistair, yet she honestly had been taken aback by his anger and was truly worried about it all.

Fiona cleared her voice to speak.

"Listen Chantalle. You have to talk to Alistair. Not facing him is turning into something really silly. We have a mission to complete and you and him will be fighting along together. Besides, I know how you feel about him. He loves you dearly, child. I know he would never get that angry at you. You have to trust me."

Chantalle's eyes were fixed on the floor.

"I am afraid," Chantalle said. "The darkspawn who raped me, they were angry. I can't get them out of my mind right now," she sounded desperate, and Fiona put an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I truly am. But you told me before how Alistair helped you through that. You should remember how kind and good he is to you. You should keep the good things on your mind, not the bad. Could you at least try to do this?"

She sighed and looked up at her.

"All right, Fiona. I'll try. I'll go talk to him this evening. I know he's waiting outside the door. I'm- I'm not ready to face him yet."

"I'll let him know this, my dear. Try to stop crying. I'll send someone with hot water to draw a bath for you."

"Ma serannas, Fiona. For everything. Truly," she said quietly and gave her a small smile, then returned the hug she had given her.

Fiona looked at her tenderly and smiled also. She then said she would leave to find the maids to have the hot water brought up and opened the door, shutting it behind her. Chantalle stood up and locked it, then went back to sitting on the bed.

She missed Alistair. She had a dull ache in her heart ever since she had refused to see him. She was truly afraid. Alistair's anger had triggered her past experience with the darkspawn and she was having a hard time getting a grip on herself.

She remembered Fiona's words about thinking only about the good things, and closed her eyes. She sighed and forced her mind to relive the moments when Alistair had talked to her. Their first conversations, the tenderness and kindness in his eyes, the way he laughed, and their first kiss.

A knock interrupted her thoughts and she automatically went to open it. She let the maids in with the hot water, and then closed and locked the door behind her when they left.

She started to smile, in spite of everything. Fiona's advice had been enough. She was remembering all the sweet moments and pushing away the dark ones as she undressed and bathed.

She was surprised to discover that she soon was actually looking forward to the evening when she would be meeting Alistair.

Her smile deepened and turned into a grin.

This shem had certainly claimed her heart.

She had finally come to grips with the realization that her heart was no longer hers.

...

"What did she say? Will she see me? Does she hate me? What was she doing? Is she all right?" The questions just kept coming out of his mouth and Alistair did nothing to stop them.

Fiona felt her lips twitch but kept her laughter in check. She was trying to tell him what Chantalle had said, but could not speak, as he had been talking non-stop ever since she had followed him into his room where they could finally talk in private.

"Alistair," she began, and he suddenly looked very frightened.

"Uh, oh. Is that a serious expression on your face? Is that bad? Do you have bad news? Am I going to like this?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"Alistair," she warned this time, her patience wearing thin.

He saw the glint of annoyance and shut his mouth.

"I'm going to shut up now," he said and she relaxed her face into a smile.

"She will come to your room this evening. She's agreed to see you, to talk to you," Fiona said now grinning.

"Maker bless you!" Alistair yelled out and pulled her into a hug, lifting her to twirl her around the room.

Fiona burst out laughing. He found himself laughing too, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting her down.

"Oh! It's the afternoon now, isn't it?" He said.

"Why yes, it must be. I suspect the others have already had lunch. Have you eaten at all?" She eyed him sternly.

"No, not yet. Don't look at me like that!" He added, blushing under her gaze. "You make me feel like a naughty boy or something." He grinned.

She smiled back. These were moments she would treasure forever.

"What's so important about this afternoon?" She asked tilting her head up to him.

"I had a ring to give her, but I wanted some stones set in it first. Duran helped me with that. He reminded me about it this morning. I'm sure it's done by now," he said, the happiness in his face contagious.

"Ring? You are going to propose to her?" Fiona asked.

"Yes! I am! Do you think she'll say yes?" Alistair asked eagerly.

"I don't know Alistair. To be honest, she was still afraid when I left her. But I have stressed how important it is for her to remember the good and special moments between the both of you, so that she can overcome all this. "

"Afraid? Why would she be afraid?" Alistair frowned.

"She remembered how the darkspawn raped her. The anger you displayed stirred the memory of it, somehow," Fiona stopped talking for her son had such a stricken look on his face, that it struck her dumb for a few moments.

She reveled in how much he looked like Maric, not only physically but more importantly the goodness in him which stood out like a beacon. That was one of the things that had made her fall for Maric in the first place.

"Oh. How stupid of me to forget! I- I don't know what to do now. What can I say to make it better?" He said sadly.

"Just be yourself, Alistair. Be as kind and gentle as you always are. And tell her you love her. I'm sure that would be more than enough," Fiona smiled lovingly at him.

He held her close and thanked the Maker for her again.

"Fiona?" He asked. "Do you think you can come with me? To pick up the ring I mean?"

"Alistair, there is nothing else I would rather do."

...

He found himself taking a second bath to steady his nerves after he returned from picking up the ring. He was sweating too much and he wanted to smell nicely for Chantalle. Not that he smelled bad, but still.

He dressed in a simple white tunic and leather trousers. He finally sat at the table in his room, drumming his fingers impatiently on the table. Then he started to fidget with a thread hanging from one of his sleeves.

The minutes crawled by and turned to hours and he soon found himself pacing the room and then glaring at the door, as if that would make it produce a knock.

He hated waiting.

The knock came minutes after, when he was seriously considering going to look for her instead.

His heart nearly flew right out of his chest when he heard it.

He strode over to the door and opened it.

Chantalle stood there, dressed in a simple white tunic also and leather breeches. Her eyes were on the floor and they flew briefly to his face and then back to the floor again.

"Chantalle," he managed to get out. "I'm so sorry, I-"

But those were the last words he managed to get out, for Chantalle threw herself into his arms and tilted her head up to him as he brought his lips down to hers and kissed her gently, his hands burying themselves into her silky blonde locks.

...

Alistair managed to close the door, while still kissing her, a kiss that had deepened when Chantalle had opened her mouth slightly and her tongue had skimmed over his lips. He had opened his mouth immediately afterwards and now their tongues were dancing with each other as their lips melded together, sending waves of pleasure over his body. He sighed into her mouth and she pushed her body against his even more, his arousal rubbing against her.

"My love," he managed to say, in between kisses. They broke away breathing heavily and he caressed her cheek gently and smiled, the look on his face one of pure adoration.

She smiled back at him, feeling so safe in his arms, wondering why she had ever felt afraid to begin with. Darkspawn and unpleasant thoughts had vanished forever from her mind at that moment.

"Come, sit. I have something to say." Alistair smiled lovingly at her as he led her onto the bed where she sat.

"I'm sorry I was angry at you Alistair. You must understand that I'm an elf, and I wanted to protect your mother against your anger. I was afraid afterwards. What happened to me, it began to haunt me. I am truly sorry, I-"

"My darling, please," Alistair said softly, placing a finger on her lips, then tracing them gently with the same calloused finger, sending shivers up and down her spine. She half-closed her eyes, and tilted her head upwards slightly. He forgot what it was he wanted to say to her and ended up kissing her again.

And again.

...

His lips follow her jaw line and the heat of his mouth sends sparks of pleasure throughout her, her body yearning for his touch.

His hands roams over her body, and he shivers slightly, his arousal now throbbing, protesting against its confinement. He nibbles at her earlobe and bends his head down as he showers her neck with kisses. His hands now on her tunic, fumbling with the laces.

Her hands roaming over his chest, at his neck, as she unties the laces holding his tunic together, her soft fingers gently tracing his muscles, roaming restlessly over his skin, setting it on fire everywhere she touches.

He is kneeling in front of her, the ties on the tunic she was wearing finally loosen, and she holds up her hands, while Alistair takes it off. He gasps out loud at the beauty of her breasts, she was not wearing a breast band underneath, and this fuels his desire for her even more.

His touch now on her breasts, gently, his fingers tracing her nipples. She lays back on her elbows, and he takes off his tunic and bends over her, placing a shower of kisses from her collarbone to her breasts. He stops at her breasts, and his tongue slowly begins tracing the outline of her nipple, eliciting the most delicious sounds from her mouth. He turns his attention to the other breast and she runs her hands over the muscles in his arms lightly, sending shivers up and down his spine.

He pauses and looks up into her eyes, which are dark with desire. He feels his breath hitch and murmurs that he loves her, and she smiles at him sweetly. And it is all he can do but kiss her over and over again, feeling the love in his heart threaten to make it burst.

They work together on getting the rest of their clothes off, taking their time, their hands caressing the flesh underneath, the fire in them leaving a trail that makes them shudder with desire. Free from all the clothes, they lay in each other's arms, skin against skin and relish the feel of each other, their sighs and moans the only sounds heard in the room.

His mouth is worshipping her, tasting her, and she feels like she is riding with the sun. Her eyes fixed on his chest, his face, his eyes, and back to his body, which she fervently wishes to keep beside her forever.

He concentrates on her waist and trails kisses past her belly button, stopping when he reaches the dark blonde curls that guard the entrance to her core, controlling the urge building up in him to take her then and there. He gently parts the folds with great care, and lowers his head, his tongue caressing and flicking against her nub, finally taking it in her mouth while she mewls with pleasure and bucks into him, sending him into a frenzy of delight.

She half-sits on the bed, taking his arousal in her hands, interrupting his ministrations. He bites into his lower lip, her wetness still on it, the taste of her in his mouth and groans, as her hand now slowly travels up and down his length. His eyes shut with pure ecstasy, he feels his release coming dangerously close, threatening to ruin the moment and he stays her hand.

He focuses on her nub again, pushing a finger into her entrance feeling her thrash wildly, the noises coming from her throat urging him to quicken his pace, he feels her release building up. This is what he wants, to build her pleasure, to make her climax, to make her feel she is flying without wings.

When she comes, he starts licking her there, his tongue probing at her entrance, gently and tenderly caressing her, till she shivers with delight, moaning his name. Her essence is all over his lips, the taste of her sweet in his mouth.

When he hears his name, he feels he cannot hold on any longer, and he positions her on the edge of the bed, gently placing her legs around his waist, but she lifts herself up, and he takes one of them, caressing it, and places it on his shoulder. Slowly, so very slowly, he pushes his erection inside her.

This new position is right, he feels completely elated, feels her walls throbbing and convulsing against his member, and he starts to ride her, enjoying the slow pace and her reactions, keeping his eyes on her, feeling her, adoring her, loving her.

They start to quicken the pace without planning it, they climb together, the sound of their flesh slapping against each other, their moans and heavy breathing as the world starts spinning when they reach the edge.

They come to their climax together, and cling to the moment, their world explodes in a series of flashes of light, color and feeling, they moan and groan and his lips crushes on hers, devouring her.

They are drenched in their sweat, they feel complete and their spirits soar.

...

Moments after they had finished their love-making Alistair wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her gently, this time placing her on the bed. He went to get a piece of cloth and cleaned her gently, while doing the same to himself.

He ignored the desire he had to continue to make love to her and focused on making her feel comfortable.

"Alistair?" Her voice sounded so enticing to him that his erection throbbed. He was still sporting one, but there was time for more love-making later.

"Yes, my love?" He crooned.

"I just wanted to say I love you," she said while moving closer to him.

He spooned her and kissed the nape of her neck softly, causing her to breathe in and out in a deep sigh.

"And I love you, my dear. Always."

And she turned to face him, wordlessly seeking him out again with frenzy this time.

As they succumbed to their desire once again, Alistair was forced to bite down a giggle as he remembered briefly what Anders had said about make-up sex.

All further thoughts were pushed away as he focused on his love for the rest of the night.

...


	24. Back to Orlais

**I want to thank Warrose, megglesnake, Jinx1983 and PheonRen for their wonderful reviews! You all rock and inspire me to continue writing! **

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**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 24 - Back to Orlais

_You light my life, when you're with me  
You're like a sunrise deep down in the night  
For you can touch my heart with sensuality  
I'm in paradise, must be in paradise  
Have you ever had a love like this  
It's so heavenly when we kiss  
Have you ever had a love like this  
Such a feeling that you have missed  
We are two in a million  
Have you ever had a love like this - Bad Boys Blue_

_._

_._

Alistair had been successful so far in avoiding Anders and his 'how-did-it-go' talk so far, because he stuck next to Chantalle fiercely all through the beginning of their trip back to Orlais. But now as they marched over a hill, he found Chantalle walking faster in order to reach Fiona, and found himself lagging behind for a few moments, which allowed Anders to stop staring at Leliana and gain the upper hand.

"So!" Anders remarked triumphantly, wasting no time in seizing the opportunity to tease Alistair, falling in step beside him. Alistair found himself bracing for what was to come. "How did it go?"

His reply was a deep red blush that spread right up to his ears, something that caused Anders to laugh out loud, and spur Duran into materializing right there between them both.

"Ah, you managed to ravish her over and over again, didn't you, you old fox?" Duran grinned up at his friend.

"Excuse me, you nug-humping dwarf," Anders said in icy tones. "I was actually trying to have a serious conversation here!"

"Serious, my arse," Duran remarked dryly, snorting. "You wouldn't know serious if it bit you on your boney human arse."

"Not listening to you!" He turned back to Alistair, who had been secretly hoping to have been forgotten. "Was the sex worth it?" He asked him bluntly.

"That's- that's private!" Alistair croaked out.

"Told ya! The Chantry has ruined him for life," Duran said sadly.

"I was doing fine until you happened to interrupt," Anders shot back at him, glowering.

"You were, were you?" Duran retorted.

"I was! I was going to get it out of him, but you decided to pop in and ruin it all!"

Alistair took the opportunity and quickened his pace, leaving them behind. He was about to give a sigh of relief, Fiona and Chantalle were just a few paces away in front, and he seemed to have been successful, he could no longer hear them bantering behind him. Then he turned and noticed who he was walking next to. He groaned. Audibly this time.

Oghren turned his bloodshot eyes on him and chuckled.

"Soooooooo," he said impishly. "Make-up sex, eh?"

Just when he thought things couldn't get worse they did.

In front of him, both Chantalle and Fiona burst into laughter.

Alistair found himself wishing fervently for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

...

When they had set up camp, Alistair found himself staring at the ring. He had wanted to give it to her back in Orzammar, but after the passtionate love-making he and Chantalle had experienced, it had slipped his memory completely.

He didn't think that a proposal fit in some random woods somewhere. As a matter of fact, he had been dreaming of going down on one knee and had a very flowery speech to go with it. But he didn't like the place. It was not romantic at all.

No. He'd have to find another more suitable place to propose.

He cursed himself for forgetting to give it to her and slipped it back to his pocket where it stayed for the time being.

"Commander," Fernan's voice was heard behind him.

"Yes, Fernan, what is it?" He replied, turning to smile at the rogue. He could see Chantalle in animated conversation beside Fiona at the fire. Marcus and Oghren stood nearby while Anders and Duran were trying to cook a decent stew. Leliana sat nearby, her fingers absent-mindedly plucking the strings of her lute.

"I scouted the area as you asked me to. There is a small village up ahead," he said. "I didn't see any inhabitants around, though. It looks abandoned."

"Thanks Fernan. Keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity," he said automatically. Chantalle was now staring at him, blushing slightly. He grinned.

"Yes Commander. I'll also be setting up traps around the perimeter as usual." And with that he vanished.

Alistair strode over by the fire and sat beside Chantalle and Fiona, trying not to interrupt their talking, but unsuccessful at the attempt. They both fell silent and beamed up at him.

"It's a nice night isn't it?" He smiled.

"It's warm. That is something that is strange here in Ferelden," Chantalle smiled, and her elusive dimple graced her face prettily.

His eyes fixed on her dimple and he quickly bent his head and kissed it. She chuckled.

"Yes, dear. Couldn't resist. Your dimple was begging for attention." His eyebrow raised slightly, a lopsided grin on his face. His gaze shifted around the camp. Anders now was sitting beside Leliana, and she was blushing at him. He made a mental note of that.

_See if he likes __**me**__ teasing him for a change. _

Duran announced that dinner was ready, and they all got up and went towards the pot. They each retrieved a bowl and went back to sitting, eating their stew in silence.

"This stew is really good, Duran," Alistair smiled.

"Anything is better than his horrible pea and lamb stew," Anders said calmly.

"He-ey! You ate it anyway," Alistair protested.

"It was either that or starve. Obviously, I wanted to live," Anders retorted.

He did not reply, Fernan had appeared suddenly and had a worried frown on his face.

"What is it, Fernan?" Alistair said.

"Remember I told you about the village?" He answered. "Well, it isn't exactly abandoned. And one of the villagers is heading this way right now."

A girl suddenly appeared before them, trembling slightly. She was rather young, with long chestnut locks that were filthy and unkempt. Her face looked terrified of something and she kept darting her eyes and looking behind her.

Alistair sprang to his feet.

"What is it, girl? Do you need help?" He said quickly, noticing that her simple dress was torn.

"Oh, please, good ser. They have attacked the village and killed my parents. They are trying to finish the rest of the people off there. We are fighting but don't have any weapons! I beg you, please help us!"

And after uttering those words dramatically, she turned heel and ran off.

Nobody spoke for a few moments, all were properly stunned at the girl's words and appearance.

"Well, everyone," Alistair said after a few moments. "Looks like someone is trying to set a trap for us. An ambush maybe?" He turned to Fernan who gave him a nod.

"I never could resist damsels in distress," Anders quipped. "They make life worth living."

They calmly finished their stew and then got ready, taking their time, working on a plan.

When Alistair felt that the girl and their would-be-ambushers had had enough waiting, and were probably berating her for doing such a poor job, they started towards the village.

Fernan vanished up ahead them and Alistair grinned.

...

Before they actually arrived, Fernan appeared next to him, scaring him for the umpteenth time.

"Sorry, Commander," he grinned apologetically.

"Any of the villagers nearby?" Alistair smiled.

"The ones trying to ambush us are a few feet away, arguing with the girl," he whispered back.

"Thanks Fernan." He motioned them all into a tight circle.

"Surprise attack them. Try not to kill unless it gets nasty," he said. They all nodded.

They walked ahead, until angry voices reached their ears.

"Well, I say we just sneak into their camps and slit their throats while they sleep. Then we can steal whatever we want. Obviously Mary is a terrible actress and they'll never follow her here," A burly man was saying.

"Hey! I did do my part well! I resent your words!" The girl cried out indignantly.

They were standing in a small clearing. The houses of the village could be seen through the gaps in the trees.

Alistair put on his 'you're-so-screwed' grin and stepped forward.

"Looking for us?" He asked.

One of them yelped and reached for a bow and arrows, but Anders cast a cone of cold, trapping the would-be-archer and two others in it.

The burly man growled as he faced Alistair. He turned to the girl briefly muttering "I knew it" to her before turning back to the group.

Taking a step forward he smiled slickly at Alistair, whose grin now disappeared.

"Hey there, my friend. As a matter of fact we were. But since _you_," he glanced at his three men who were still frozen, "are clearly two steps ahead of us, we'll just turn around and leave, how does that sound?"

"That sounds incredibly dull," Alistair deadpanned. "Are you from the village?"

"No. We aren't. We, ah...happened across it and er...took advantage of the simple villagers, however. They aren't available any longer."

"You killed the people in the village?" Fiona bristled at them, her staff at the ready.

"Hey, now, no need to get all jumpy, elf!" The man shouted back at her, and this time it was Alistair who bristled. "Just surviving, that's all!"

"Surviving, huh?" He said, and charged.

The three under the cone of cold spell had thawed, and blinked once before they realized they were under attack.

The fight was relatively short. In a few minutes, they had all their weapons, and all of them were kneeling on the ground, begging for their lives.

"The people you killed probably begged for their lives too," Alistair said quietly. "And look where it got them."

"No, not all of them are dead. I was just lying back there. Ask Mary here. She's one of them. She'll tell you," the burly man was now sweating, all traces of his previous bravado had vanished.

Alistair faced the girl, who stood up, brushing her clothes with disgust.

"Yes, that's true. While they are living freely at our expense and our people continue to give them all they want, they only managed to kill the town major and set fire to his house. We were frightened of them, we don't own weapons. We are simple-minded, peaceful folk. So we have given them what they wanted, until now," she said, her voice low.

"Until now?" The burly man repeated, staring up at her.

"Well, you killed one of the kindest man in the village, and terrorized us. It's only fair that you be executed for your crimes," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

She then focused on Alistair and smiled at him. "Thank you kind, ser. Without their weapons they are quite manageable. I would like to invite you to our village to repay your kindness."

"Thank you but that isn't necessary, we-" Alistair began, but Anders's voice interrupted.

"We would be delighted, my lady." With a flourish, he bent down and kissed her hand.

Alistair rolled his eyes.

"Sleeping in a bed would be nice," Chantalle breathed into his ear, sending sparks up his spine.

"Thank you so much," Alistair smiled at the girl. "We'll help you tie these bandits up, and pull up camp. Then we'll be ready to follow you into the village."

Before Chantalle turned, he grabbed her hand and this time it was he who whispered huskily into her ear, causing her to blush.

"You saucy minx."

...

It turned out that the villagers were so grateful that they found themselves accepting free rooms at the local inn for the night. It was clean and nice and the beds were comfortable.

Alistair shot Chantalle a meaningful look as the innkeeper and his wife hurried around preparing their beds. Anders was still busy chatting to the village girl, while Leliana sat thoughtfully in a corner.

Alistair saw that. He went and sat next to her.

"He's not one to settle for just one woman," he told her, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry."

Leliana smiled brightly back at him.

"Oh, it's fine. I know that. It's not like I'm heart-broken. And besides, he won't get me into bed that easily. I'm a bard after all," she chuckled.

"Oh, I know you aren't fooled. I just felt I had to say something...I thought you looked withdrawn and you were unnaturally quiet," Alistair replied.

"Oh, thanks, Alistair. But I'm fine, really! I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. But it's kind of you to be concerned," she smiled prettily up at him and he smiled back.

"The rooms are ready, my lord," the innkeeper stood before him, wringing his hands. "I trust they are suitable for you and your companions."

"Thank you so much. I think we will be retiring for now, we're very tired." Alistair said.

"Of course, my Lord. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to let us know." He bowed slightly and smiled.

There were four rooms at the inn. Chantalle and Alistair shared one, while Fiona shared another with Leliana. Marcus, Fernan, Oghren, Anders and Duran would share the other two rooms.

They made their way to the rooms and while Alistair and Chantalle fell into each other's arms, the rest welcomed the sight of beds and pillows and promptly fell asleep.

...

Alistair sighed as he lay back on the bed, trying to catch his breath and quiet his heavy breathing. Chantalle was breathing heavily as well and she nestled on his chest, his thumping heart soothing and lulling her.

He moved to reach for his pack, bringing out a cloth which he used to clean himself and her before bending back down and searching for something.

"What are you doing, my love?" Her eyes were curious.

"I- ah- I'm looking for something," he smiled, as he finally found what he wanted. Sitting up in bed, he took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

She looked up at him, her heart thumping wildly. It was clear to her that he had something to say, and it wasn't something light or funny, but serious. She saw him struggle for the correct words and a light blush on his cheeks. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"My love," he said, looking tenderly at her. "I love you more than life itself. I cannot think of a life without you, you complete me in each and every possible way and I am a better person because of you."

She smiled tenderly at him, the thrill of his words sending sparks throughout her body.

He held something in his right hand in front of her, and continued to talk, nervously wetting his lips.

"Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She froze at this, and looked down, and saw the ring. It was a beautiful silverite ring, and had a small diamond chip in the center, surrounded by two sapphire chips on each side. Her breath hitched as one of her shaking hands shot forward to touch it lightly.

She then looked up to him, and saw the longing and fear on his face.

Longing for her. Fear of rejection.

"But I am an elf..." she began, her voice trailing off when she saw the effect her words were causing.

Alistair shook his head violently, gathering up the courage to protest and interrupting her train of thought when he did.

"You think I care about that? You are a wonderful woman and I love you dearly. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That is all that matters," he replied firmly. "We only have thirty odd years to live. I want us to be together for as long as we can."

His words intoxicated her. They held promise. A promise of feeling safe. A promise of being loved and loving back in return.

"Yes, Alistair. I would like to marry you very much," she said softly.

He gave a sob and gathered her into his arms, and as she sat on his lap, and felt his feathery kisses on her cheek and neck, she sighed.

He then took her right hand and slipped the ring on. It fit perfectly.

They kissed passionately and everything else blurred and disappeared as they let their desire take over.

Chantalle would never forget that night for as long as she lived.


	25. News

**I want to thank Jinx1983, Warrose, PheonRen, LadyCallia and megglesnake for the fantastic reviews. All of you give me the inspiration to carry on! :D **

**A special thanks to megglesnake for helping me with some Celene, Maric and Cailan related issues I had when I wrote this chapter! Her help was invaluable and is much appreciated! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 25 - News

_The world seems not the same,__  
__Though I know nothing has changed.__  
__It's all my state of mind,__  
__I can't leave it all behind.__  
__Have to stand up to be stronger.__  
__Have to try to break free__  
__From the thoughts in my mind.__  
__Use the time that I have,__  
__I can't say goodbye,__  
__Have to make it right.__  
__Have to fight, cause I know__  
__In the end it's worthwhile,__  
__That the pain that I feel slowly fades away.__  
__It will be alright._

_Pale- Within Temptation_

.

.

Two weeks later they all trudged into the main hall of the Orlesian compound wearily. Leonie stood there to welcome them, a smile lighting up her entire face.

"I do not know how you managed it, mon cheres," she said happily. "But there have been no more attacks here in Orlais and we have received a missive from Empress Celene herself asking us to the Palace to thank us personally. I decided to wait for you to arrive, and let her know that you are the ones responsible for this victory. Also, there has been news from the battle at Weisshaupt. The First Warden has written."

Alistair perked up at this.

"What news from the First Warden?"

"He writes to say that there are darkspawn attacking the darkspawn that are fighting them and are helping them in the battle tremendously. He does not understand why or how this is possible but is sure you have to do with it," she grinned. "Here, Fiona. He sent you a personal missive."

Fiona took it and frowned. She hoped it didn't contain orders for her to return to Weisshaupt.

"I will write back to the Empress and tell her you have arrived. She will ask to see us very shortly, no doubt." Leonie added. "I am sure that you will want to rest, no? Please go on to your rooms. I will have hot water sent up immediately so you can all enjoy baths and then get some rest."

"We would like to tell you what has happened first, if you are feeling all right with that, Fiona?" Alistair turned to the elven mage who smiled affectionately at him.

"Yes, of course, we should talk at once," Fiona said quickly.

Chantalle squeezed his hand, and turned to leave.

"I'll be there shortly, my love," he whispered to her and watched her leave, then turned back to Leonie and Fiona.

Let us go to my study. It is better there," Leonie said.

...

Leonie swore audibly when she heard what Alistair and Fiona had to say. They had left nothing out and went into details of what The Beloved wanted the blood for.

"This is insane! You no longer carry the Taint, Fiona! What do you hope to accomplish with all this?" She finally was able to put into words what she was feeling.

"Well, killing off The General is more than enough. It goes without saying that the attacks have now ceased all over Orlais. I would call that an improvement, wouldn't you say?" Alistair remarked dryly.

"That is not the point here," Leonie argued angrily. "Fiona does not have what it is asking for! Yes, you managed to fool it successfully, but have you two thought about what will happen when it discovers you have lied to it and not given it what it wants?"

"Yes, there _is_ that, that's true," Alistair said thoughtfully. He was very calm and that in itself sent Leonie into a fit of angry expletives.

"You underestimate us, Commander," Fiona deadpanned. "Surely you do not think that we would agree and trick it without a plan?"

She stopped in the middle of an expletive and hope flashed over her features for the briefest of moments. Then she burst out laughing.

"Ah! Well, you should have started by saying this, yes? I shall write to the First Commander, telling him that your work here is not done yet. He asked me for a full report once you two arrived," she said happily.

"If there is nothing else, we'd really like to rest now," Alistair said.

"Oh, of course, mon cheres," she waved them off, a grin on her face.

Once they were out of earshot, Alistair turned to his mother.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" He asked, knowing full well what her answer would be.

"No, Alistair. I do not. But I decided to do something Maric taught me to do and Duncan would approve of instantly."

"And what is that exactly?" He asked curiously.

"Improvise."

...

Fiona shut the door of her room with a sigh.

She walked over to the only chair in the room and sat down facing the small desk. She smiled remembering how Alistair had burst out laughing from her last comment to him about improvising. She thanked the Maker that they were getting along so well, despite feeling a pang of guilt every time they spoke.

She took out a slightly wrinkled parchment from her pocket and flattened it over the desk, pressing on it to smoothen the wrinkles out. Then she broke the Grey Warden Seal and opened it.

Bending over it, she held it in her hands as she began to read.

_Warden Fiona,_

_It has come to my attention that your endeavors in Orlais have been more than satisfactory. I do not know how you have managed to do this. Needless to say, I would like an explanation. _

_There are darkspawn that are assisting us here in our battle. Without them, we would have been obliterated. They arrived a few hours ago and already the battle is turning in our favor. One of their messengers, a talking darkspawn, informed us that they will not stop until the enemy lies dead or has fled back into the Deep Roads. I cannot believe that darkspawn are helping us out. I will again point out that I need an explanation to why this is happening. _

_Therefore, I urge you to send me a missive as fast as you can. I must know all the details. Also I have heard from some scouts that arrived yesterday (one of them made it past the enemy lines alive) that the problem in Orlais seems to have finally been solved and there are no more attacks. I wish to know about this as well._

_I would normally ask you to return immediately and ask for your report, but if you have managed to accomplish this great task then I will grant you a reward for your services. Allow me to be the first to tell you that I am assigning you to the Warden Commander of Ferelden. He is now your commanding officer and you should help him continue to recruit other wardens and rebuild the order in Ferelden. The numbers in his ranks are very low, if there was another darkspawn attack on Ferelden at this time, it would be catastrophic in nature. He needs all the help he can get and only a fool would not see this. _

_Therefore, I am relieving you of your duties in Weisshaupt. I will be sending off a trunk with all your belongings to Vigil's Keep immediately. _

_Thank you for all your help. _

_Report to Warden Commander Alistair Theirin to inform him of this at once._

_Meilso Cronen, First Warden _

Fiona sat there for a few moments, staring at the written words in a state of mild shock. Her hands trembled slightly and the first thing she did was place the parchment on the desk.

She lifted her face up, and thanked the Maker silently.

Then, reaching inside a drawer in the desk, she took out a blank piece of parchment and a quill.

A smile lit up her face as she dipped the quill in the inkwell and began to write her reply.

...

Alistair stood in the antechamber, dressed in his dragonscale armor waiting with his nine fellow wardens for Celene to call them into the throne room. Leonie also stood before them, all dimples and smiles. She was clearly enjoying this immensely.

Despite his calm appearance, he was nervous. He did not like being in a palace or a throne room for that matter. It brought back memories of the Landsmeet and what had happened when he had been called forth as a candidate for the throne of Ferelden.

He supposed that things could be worse. He could be King of Ferelden and living in court right now. He shivered at the thought, disgust written plainly all over his face. Still, the memories had come flooding into his brain, unwanted, and made him think about how lucky he was at the moment. He smiled when his eyes rested absent-mindedly on Chantalle.

Yes. He was lucky. An extremely lucky man, in fact.

A guard materialized before them closing the massive doors to the throne room behind. He spoke to Leonie in Orlesian and she smiled and bowed her head. He then turned and opened the massive doors again, and stepped inside, announcing them to the Empress in Orlesian.

Taking the cue from Leonie, they all followed her through the room and stopped only in front of the Empress herself, who immediately knelt in front of her. Alistair and the rest followed suit.

He had time to take in the details of the lavishly decorated room, which was full of plants and tapestries on the walls. The furniture, as well, was overly decorated with colorful cushions and pillows, the wood carved in Orlesian style. A statue of Andraste stood at the far end of the room, behind the golden throne. On the far right was a miniature waterfall, a man-made fountain that bubbled cheerfully in the room. It was completely different from the cold throne room in the Palace at Denerim.

The Empress herself was dressed in a low-cut, tight-bodice gown inlaid with golden threads and precious stones. She was a beautiful brunette, who looked not a day older than thirty.

Empress Celene smiled down at them and bid them to rise. She knew that nearly all of them were Ferelden and spoke in that language in deference to Alistair and his wardens.

"Rise, Grey Wardens." Her voice had the lilting, musical Orlesian accent and was soft and vibrant.

She looked at Alistair and smiled. "You are the Warden Commander of Ferelden, yes? You are King Cailan's half-brother, are you not? You refused the throne after he died," she smiled prettily at him.

Alistair blushed slightly, and smiled back, hiding his discomfort.

"Yes, your Imperial Highness," he replied in a clear voice, inclining his head.

"You also assisted the Hero of Ferelden in stopping the Blight, oui?" She asked again.

Alistair inclined his head respectfully, and his eyes darted to Duran, who was looking very uncomfortable.

"You are the Hero of Ferelden, oui?" Celene's clear blue eyes regarded Duran curiously. "You were the one who killed the archdemon?"

"Yes, your Imperial Highness," Duran mumbled, repeating what Alistair had replied and bowing his head.

She went through all those present in the same fashion, until her eyes rested on Fiona and Chantalle, who were both standing together.

"This is the elven mage from Weisshaupt, yes?" She asked Leonie. Leonie bowed respectfully and nodded. "You came from Weisshaupt. But you were born here in Orlais, oui?"

"That is correct, your Imperial Highness," Fiona replied in a monotone.

Celene dimpled at the both of them. "Elves are considered to be low-class citizens all over Thedas. Let it be known from this day forward that elves should be treated equally and have the same rights as humans," she turned to one of her advisors, who obviously knew Ferelden well as he nodded and scribbled furiously on a parchment. "Here in Orlais, the Empress decides the rules and the nobles obey what we say."

"Let it also be known that Alistair Theirin, the Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden is hereby given the title of 'Defender of Orlais'," she said in a clear voice. "You all have my eternal gratitude for what you have accomplished. There will be a banquet in honor of all of you -Heroes of Orlais- tomorrow night. We have much to celebrate. You may leave now." Empress Celene gave them a final smile and turned to leave the room, as they knelt before her again.

...

Alistair looked at the gift from Celene in mild shock. He read the parchment over and over and shook his head. Opening the pouch he saw the gold sovereigns and turned to his group.

"She's given us one hundred sovereigns!" He said weakly and the rest were in shock at his words.

"She must really be grateful," said Anders.

They had arrived in the compound after walking around the market square, looking around the shops and inspecting the street vendors' wares. They had gone to the nearest inn afterwards to have their midday meal together. Upon returning to the compound, they had met with the surprise of a package from the empress.

"Well, that settles it then! Tomorrow we'll go shopping for new clothes for the banquet and new armor for ourselves as well," he grinned.

"Alistair, could I have a word with you?" Fiona said.

"Yes, of course," he grinned at her and led her to the nearby mess hall table. They sat down and she smiled back.

"I received a missive from the First Warden as you know," Fiona began and stopped when she noticed the startled look in his eyes. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Not yet. But there will be if it contained orders for you to return to Weisshaupt," he replied, his voice serious.

"You do not wish me to leave, if I had to leave?" Fiona asked, a lump in her throat.

Alistair shook his head.

"No. I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you by my side. We have done a lot for the Grey Wardens. I will write to the First Warden to ask him to relieve you from your duties at Weisshaupt."

"That won't be necessary," Fiona said softly and handed him the parchment.

Alistair's eyes quickly ran over the letter. When he had finished, he smiled at her, relief all over his face.

"Well then, I suppose I am your Commanding Officer now. How do you feel about that?" He asked, giving her a lopsided grin.

"I think I might like the idea," she replied, "Warm up to it even."

He chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"That's good to know."

...

They stood in the lavishly decorated room, dressed up for the banquet. The nobles of Orlais were smiling at them as they walked around the large room, nodding and smiling.

"Ugh. I cannot stand this dress any longer," Chantalle complained again beside him.

Alistair turned and looked at her, suppressing the laughter he felt bubbling inside him. She looked like a goddess in that dress, but was wearing a scowl on her pretty face.

"My love, you have to smile and look pretty. This is the Orlesian nobility and the Empress is standing over there on the dais, watching over us carefully. We should look like we are having a good time."

"_You_ are having a good time," she retorted, wriggling slightly to catch her breath. The bodice on her dress was too tight and although it lifted her breasts and revealed a lot, causing Alistair to be enraptured by the sight of her as soon as she had appeared before him, she had been complaining ever since she laid a hand on his arm at the start of the evening.

"I'm having a good time because you are here by my side," he murmured sincerely. The comment alone caused her to smile prettily at him, her elusive dimple showing briefly. It was gone before he could capture it with a kiss.

He sighed and tried to tear his eyes away from her enticing figure, his eyes falling on Anders and Leliana who were deep in conversation. Duran strolled over to where they were standing.

"I hate these formal affairs," he informed Alistair in a loud voice. "I'll be happy once we can leave."

"But there are ten different kinds of cheese here!" Alistair protested as he made a beeline for one of the long tables in the room, practically dragging poor Chantalle along who glared at him.

Fiona was dancing with Fernan and seemed to be enjoying herself. She looked quite beautiful in her new mage dress robes made of purple silk, which shimmered as she twirled past them. The rest of them were helping themselves to food and drink at the various long tables placed around the huge room.

He snacked on the cheese, offering a sliver to Chantalle, whose glare had turned to a smile. She could not remain angry at him for long, and now, as she studied his boyish grin and his eyes lighting up with delight at the cheese spread on the table, her heart skipped a beat and she stood on her toes and breathed a quick "I love you" into his ear, which momentarily caused him to forget he had all the cheese he ever wanted at his disposal and his heart started to beat wildly in his chest.

He was going to have a great time undressing her tonight.

...

They were laughing and teasing each other when they arrived at the compound later that night. The rest said their good nights and went on their way to their rooms, still chatting away cheerfully, while Alistair put an arm around her tiny waist and squeezed gently.

As soon as he closed the door, his lips descended on her, and she walked backwards into the room, still kissing him passionately until her back bumped into the small table and they both heard something clatter to the floor.

He broke away and his eyes searched until they found a silver tray lying on the floor. A letter had flown off it and was lying a few inches away.

Bending down he retrieved it, and Chantalle saw his face change as he glanced at the handwriting scrawled over the front, recognizing it instantly. Flipping the letter over, he saw a seal that confirmed what he was thinking and his eyes darkened.

"What is it my love? What has disturbed you so?" She asked gently.

He could not bring himself to answer her immediately, but continued to gaze down at the seal that was holding the missive together, his eyes dark and foreboding.

The seal of the Arl of Redcliffe.

Eamon Guerrin.

...


	26. Not Happening

**I want to thank my dear reviewers: megglesnake, PheonRen, LadyCallia, Warrose and Jinx1983 for all your constant support and feedback! You ROCK! :D **

**This is a revealing chapter, lol :D **

**Bioware owns and I...I play with ALISTAIR! :P **

Chapter 26 - Not Happening

_Masquerading as a man with a reason  
My charade is the event of the season  
And if I claim to be a wise man  
It surely means that I don't know  
On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean  
I set a course for winds of fortune  
But I hear the voices say  
Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more  
Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas_

.

.

Alistair turned to Chantalle, his eyes dark.

"This letter is from Arl Eamon," he said quietly.

"The man who sent you away to the Chantry when you were a boy?" She asked.

"The very same," he sighed and sat at the table, pulling her close so that she sat on his lap. He still had the missive in his hand.

"Are you going to open it?" Chantalle said, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Do I have to?" He answered automatically without thinking.

"Well, don't you want to know what he wants?"

He sighed again, briefly kissing her on the cheek before speaking.

"We didn't exactly part on best terms. He, um, wanted me to be king, and I refused the throne. Duran helped me out with that one. If it wasn't for him, I'd be king right now."

She saw the darkness in his eyes again and gently caressed his long hair. It felt smooth and silky at her fingertips.

"We had a discussion after Anora regained the throne. After both the Landsmeet and the Blight were over. We argued about my birthright and I was furious at him. I called him a stuck-up noble who only wanted power for himself."

"Well, you might have been right to say that. He pushed you away and then he wanted you on the throne? It sounds to me as if he was trying to manipulate you."

"I am still angry at him. He was the one who lied to me about my mother. He told me that my mother was a serving girl at the castle. He told me she had died. I know that he was following Maric's orders, but still..." His eyes fixed themselves on the wall opposite of where they were sitting. "He _knew_ the truth. And nobody would want me on the throne if they knew who my real mother is. So, he kept the truth from me and hid it well, so I could become king...knowing full well that nobody would accept me if they knew about my mother. It makes me dislike him more, right now. What is more, the woman he said was my mother had had another child before me. A girl. I tried to contact her in Denerim. Her name is Goldanna. She turned out to be nothing but a gold-digging harridan. And if he had only told me the truth, I would have been spared that pain. The pain of knowing that not even an apparent family member wanted me."

She frowned at this, her eyes sad as she brought a hand to his cheek. He held it there, and took it to his lips, kissing her palm.

"I do know one thing. If he has written, it's because he is planning something. Something to do with the throne. And me. He's obsessed with it all."

He held her closely and the letter dropped from his hand, unnoticed. His lips were suddenly upon hers, seeking her passion and love, his urgency to make her his at that moment filling him completely.

He pushed the thought of Eamon getting in touch with him away. The thought of an unwanted throne, of a throne without her.

The last thing on his mind were two little words.

Two little words that echoed briefly and were promptly pushed aside as well, leaving behind steely determination where they had been.

Not happening.

...

They were still on the chair, except they were in various stages of undress. Their coupling had been fast and needy, and they were still panting. Alistair's trousers were bunched up at his feet, his smallclothes just under his knees. Chantalle's dress had been bunched over her waist, her smallclothes had been pushed down to her feet and now lay on the floor, and his hands were still grasping her hips.

He pulled her close and sighed into her ear, kissing the tip. He did the same to the other ear as well. Then, taking her face between his large hands he looked deeply into her eyes.

"I will never let you go." His voice was quiet, calm and composed.

"What if you do have to take the throne? What will happen to us?" She asked.

"I will never let you go," he repeated, this time enunciating every word. "Ever."

He stood up, picking her up so that she lay in his arms, and stepped out of his trousers and his smallclothes and carried her to the bed.

"I think you should read the letter, my love," she whispered.

"I don't want to read the letter," he murmured in between light-feathered kisses on her collarbone, trailing down to the valley of her breasts.

She mewled with pleasure, but then held his face in her hands and looked deeply in his eyes.

"You cannot run from this. You have to face it. Open the letter." She spoke softly but he heard the firmness in her words, and inwardly agreed with her.

He could not run from it.

Sighing, he got off the bed and went to where the letter lay and picked it up. Then went back to the bed, sitting on it. Taking a deep breath he broke the seal, opened it and began reading immediately, barely stifling a cry of disgust when he was done.

_Alistair,_

_I know we did not part on the best of terms when we last spoke. However, I would like you to set aside our differences and try to understand what I am about to say. _

_Denerim is in turmoil right now. Anora is but a step away from becoming a tyrant and abusing her power. She has sent out missives to all the nobles asking for a Landsmeet to call for your arrest and immediate execution, based on the grounds that you have been preparing a surprise attack on Ferelden as you are in Orlais right now. She has the insane idea that you will seize the throne by force. _

_She is paranoid, just as much as her father was and will use the Landsmeet to convince the nobles that what you are doing in Orlais is pretty much declaring war on Ferelden and on her as a ruler. _

_I beg of you, please come forward and tell the nobles at the Landsmeet why you were away, the true reason behind your trip. I do not know what it is that you are doing there, but the fact that you left with a handful of wardens tells me that it has something to do with your order, and I hope that is the case. _

_You must bring together evidence of what you have been doing to the Landsmeet and you must oppose her._

_And like it or not, you must take your place on your father's throne. This is your duty. You must do this for Ferelden._

_Please consider what I have said. _

_The Landsmeet is taking place two days after Satinalia. _

_I hold no ill wishes upon you, dear boy, and hope you will come to your senses. _

_I do not wish a warrant for your arrest and execution to be sent out. _

_I await news from you eagerly. _

_Eamon Guerrin_

_Arl of Redcliffe_

He sat there stunned at the words he had just finished reading. Chantalle put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Is it very bad?" She asked in a tremulous voice, dreading his reply.

He faced her, unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

"I will not let you go. Ever." He repeated, as he took in the sad look on her face.

"What did the letter say?"

"Let me handle it. You have to trust me, Chantalle. I will fix this, I promise," he replied quietly.

"Alistair, I want to know what that letter says," her voice a whisper.

"Queen Anora, who is Cailan's widow, wants to call a Landsmeet, right after Satinalia, which is in about a month." Glancing at the blank look on her face, he understood and went on to explain. "The Landsmeet is a gathering of all the nobles in Ferelden, to decide on what has to be done for the good of the country. Queen Anora has discovered I am here in Orlais. She is convinced I am calling upon the Orlesian forces to invade Ferelden in order to take up my 'rightful place' on the throne. She wants the Landsmeet to convene in order to put out a warrant for my arrest, and my execution." He paused for a moment at her sharp intake of breath.

"Eamon wants me to be there, during the Landsmeet, and put forth evidence that what I was doing here was strictly Grey Warden business. That would not be necessary, I'm sure word has already gotten out how we were here to stop the darkspawn attacks and how bad things had gotten before we managed to end the threat. However, I do have Leonie as a witness and fellow Grey Warden. She could help me out. I'm not worried about that at all. What I am worried about is the effect this could have on the nobles. They are going to want to depose Anora immediately and..."

He felt a lump in his throat and swallowed, keeping his eyes averted from her.

"They will want you to take your father's place as king," her soft voice ended the sentence for him.

There were no words to say to that, he could only nod miserably. It seemed that he would never be able to run from his birthright. It would always be there, causing him sorrow and discomfort, wherever he went.

"I don't want to become king. I never wanted the throne. I hate being in court. I just want to be a Grey Warden," he added miserably, looking down at the letter he held in his right hand.

When she didn't reply, he turned to look at her, and her clear blue eyes were regarding him curiously.

"What?"

"This Queen Anora is a bad ruler then?"

"Yes, it seems that way," he admitted.

"She is abusing her power?" Her next question did not surprise him.

"Yes, she is. Very much so."

"Alistair, you have to take the throne. You would never abuse your power. You would be a good, kind king. And Ferelden could change under your rule.

"I can't take the throne, Chantalle. I can't take it more than ever now, can't you see that?" He said, exasperation lading his voice.

"I do not understand. Maric, the king, was your father, was he not?" Her rosy lips puckered for a moment in thought.

"Yes. But my mother, Fiona, is an elf. I cannot take the throne. Nobody would want that, even if I am Maric's son. So it seems that they will _not_ see me on the throne after all this is said and done with," he said in a firm voice, flinging the letter away. Then he took her in his arms, and began to kiss her.

She broke away from his kisses.

"They wouldn't have to know that. Fiona and everyone who is close to you could keep the secret," she said quietly.

"Chantalle, I told you. I am _not_ taking the throne. That is _not_ happening. Ever," he said again, and his voice held a hint of annoyance in it.

"We'll talk about this later, my love," she smiled, and when she did, her elusive dimple showed up again, but this time he bent down and captured it in a kiss.

"Hmmm," he said as his lips now traveled right down to the valley of her breasts again. "Now, where was I?"

...

The following day, he met with Fiona in her room. Alone.

"What is it, Commander?" She said in an amused tone.

He smiled but she instantly saw that his smile did not reach his eyes.

Something was wrong.

Alistair then held a parchment out to her.

"I received this yesterday," he said. "I want you to read it."

She sat down at her desk and read it quietly. When she was done, her brown eyes had darkened so much they looked black.

"Who is this Eamon Guerrin?"

"He's the man that Maric chose to raise me. I grew up there, in Redcliffe, till after I was ten. By then, the arl had remarried an Orlesian woman that was much younger than he. Isolde hated me. She convinced the arl to send me away to the Chantry, where I spent the next ten odd years of my life, training to become a Templar. He was the one who put me forward as a possible candidate to the throne, in order to rid Ferelden of Loghain."

"Loghain? Maric's best friend?"

Alistair bristled at her.

"Yes. I assume you heard about Ostagar? He is the man who betrayed Cailan and left him and the rest of the Ferelden Grey Wardens to die on the battlefield."

"I never did like him. He seemed like an angry, bitter man to me," she replied darkly.

"You - you _met_ him?" He asked, disbelief and confusion in his voice.

Fiona sighed. After a while, she turned to him and motioned at the only other empty chair in the room.

"It's time we talked about how I met your father and why, Alistair. It's time you knew a little bit of the madness we were thrown into. You'd better sit down. This is going to be a long story."

...


	27. Fiona and Alistair

**First of all I would like to thank Megglesnake, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Warrose, tim94, and Jinx1983 for the awesome reviews! :D **

**I want to say here that it is not my intention to write a summary of what happened to Fiona exactly, as this is something you should discover on your own by reading 'The Calling'. Also, the purpose of this story is not to give you a detailed description of what happened in the book. Therefore, I am only going to refer to what is important to the plot, in later chapters.**

**Bioware owns, I just use the characters! :D **

Chapter 27 - Fiona and Alistair

_How can you just leave me standing?  
Alone in a world that's so cold?  
Maybe I'm just too demanding  
Maybe I'm just like my father too bold  
Maybe you're just like my mother  
She's never satisfied  
Why do we scream at each other?  
This is what it sounds like  
When doves cry  
Prince - When doves cry_

.

.

Alistair let Fiona speak. He did not interrupt once. Not even when she started to cry.

When she did cry, she did so quietly, and he did not make a move to comfort her. For what she was telling him was no longer the story of how Maric and she had met. It was no longer the story of how they had flung themselves into a ridiculous journey deep into the Deep Roads searching for the commander's lost brother. It was no longer the story of how they had met the Architect or what had happened to them as Grey Wardens. It was no longer the story of The Taint or its corruption. It was no longer the story about how Maric had come to care for her, and she for Maric.

It had now become the story of where he was born. Where he was taken. And when she told him what she wanted for him, and how she had told his father that he deserved a chance to grow up away from them, to be free of their burdens..._that_ was when she had started to cry quietly, and had been unable to stop the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

He had been abandoned because they had wanted him to be free. He had been abandoned because he deserved a chance in life. Away from the political machinations of court, and away from the bitterness of growing up as a half-breed, the son of an elf, who also happened to be a mage. Not that there had been a chance of that happening anyway. The wardens at Weisshaupt had ordered her to give him away. So she had taken him to Ferelden. She had taken him to Maric.

And they had decided what had to be done about him. And they had done this because it was what was best for him.

He felt like he wanted to scream, to shout or to hit something.

But he did nothing.

In spite of the fact that he knew they had truly believed they were doing the best for him, he felt that it was all wrong. That a chance for a better life for him had not been a better life at all. It had been a life of bitterness and rejection. Nobody had wanted him.

Not even his parents.

"Alistair," she said. "I know you will never truly forgive us for this. This is all my fault. You mustn't blame your father for this. He merely agreed to what I wanted for you."

He bowed his head and did not speak for a long time. Clenching and unclenching his fists several times, he finally looked into her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Look," he croaked out. "I'm not going to give into anger again, because in spite of everything, I do want to finally have a relationship with you. I feel you owe me that much, if not more."

Fiona's breathing hitched slightly, but she did not say anything.

"I do feel, however, that we'll have plenty of time to do that once this is all over. Right now, we need to talk about other things, and focus on the problems before us. We need to be able to work together. Arl Eamon is a man that is only interested in power. He also raised me, but did a poor job of that. All my life I've been told to do my duty. I did my duty to the Arl, by cleaning his stables and working around the castle. I did my duty as a Templar, much as I hated it. And I am now doing my duty as a Grey Warden. And while doing my duty as a Grey Warden, which is what I love the most, I meet the love of my life and my true mother suddenly makes an appearance. Now that's what I'd call sheer dumb luck, wouldn't you?"

He gave her a sardonic smile and she blinked at him thoughtfully, her tears finally stopping.

"And even though I do have every right to be angry and to tell you things that I may regret saying tomorrow, I feel that it will get us nowhere and I feel that we owe it to each other to start a relationship long overdue." He paused, his eyes dark, bearing into her very soul. Fiona did not flinch. She was looking at him the same way.

"And now, we focus on what we know. I killed the Architect and Utha."

Fiona's mouth parted slightly. She quickly shut it and shook her head.

"I never thought I'd see the day. Utha dead." She grimaced. "Even though I knew that you were the warden that killed The Architect, let me tell you that I know how dangerous it must have been. This...monster...nearly killed us all back then, when we were following our deranged commander on her mad quest."

Fiona shook her head again. "I spent the last twenty-five years at Weisshaupt trying to discover a clue of its whereabouts, commissioning Wardens to look for it in different places, to look for clues. Some of them never returned." She squared her shoulders, her eyes penetrating his again.

"Yes. The thing we are up against. This...Beloved. It will end the battle between darkspawn and wardens. And it will kill the General. The time will come when you will have to give it your blood. And I'm not so sure that I want that to happen." Alistair added.

"Yes, I understand. You don't want it to happen because of what it would do in retaliation when it discovers the truth."

"No," Alistair said, shaking his head, his expression suddenly softer. "I don't want it to happen because I want to protect you. Because you are my mother."

She nearly wept then.

...

He stood up to leave after having spent all afternoon talking with her, but she stopped him.

"Alistair, what are you going to do about the queen? About Eamon?"

He smiled as he looked down at her. It was a cocky smile and one of his eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Oh, I have a good idea of what to do about all this. It will require another visit to the Empress, however, so I can't tell you what I have planned right now, until I see how that goes."

"I want you to know that whatever you do, I will stand by you." Her voice, calm but strong, didn't surprise him. He immediately realized why his father had fallen for her.

"Thank you, Fiona. That means a great deal to me. We'll speak again about all this later."

"And Alistair?"

"Yes?"

"Do not turn Chantalle away because she is an elf and that is what is expected of the heir to the throne."

He stared down at her, anger flashing momentarily in his eyes.

"I would think you would have more faith in me than that, Fiona. Truly."

Without another word or looking back, he opened and shut the door firmly behind him.

Realization hit her then. He was not his father. He had become a young man far from the political manipulations of the Ferelden court. He would remain at Chantalle's side, even more so because she _**was**_ an elf. She nearly hit herself for what she had just said. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as pride swelled in her heart for this young man.

It looked like the nobles would be biting off more than they could chew with her son after all.

...

He took Chantalle out to dinner that night, to one of the nearby taverns. He had bought a dress for her in the market square and wanted her to wear it.

She had shaken her head, but smiled all the same and after having swatted his arms away from her, she'd taken a hot bath and gotten ready, while he sat at the table in their room, waiting.

When she came out from behind the screen, his eyes had widened at the sheer beauty of her. Her curves, accentuated by the dress, were tempting, and it had taken all his self-control to stand up and hold out his arm to her to escort her out of the compound.

The tavern was full, but he had secured a nice table for them earlier, paying in advance for it. It was secluded and away from the main hustle and bustle of the rest of the patrons, some of them seated at the bar.

He ordered some wine and then they placed an order for roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables and sat, their hands entwined, gazing into each other's eyes.

"What would you say," he began, giving her a lopsided grin, "if I told you I want to marry you here?"

Her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets.

"I would think you have gone mad!"

He burst out laughing, then leaned over towards her, taking both her hands in his.

"If this is what being mad is like, then I would like to be mad for the rest of my life," he whispered, his voice husky and warm.

"You are serious about this?" She shot back, still in awe.

"Of course I am. I cannot live without you, you know. I want to shout it out to everybody. I am in love with the most beautiful, kindest, strongest and smartest woman in all of Thedas."

She started to giggle, giddy now, her eyes twinkling like twin sapphires.

"You are insane, Alistair. And I love you dearly," she leaned over for a kiss, and he captured her mouth hungrily.

The girl who worked at the tavern appeared carrying the wine and two glasses. She smiled at them and apologized for intruding in Orlesian, but Alistair understood and chuckled, his cheeks pink.

He poured a glass for her and himself, and they held hands again, while he felt that there was nothing in the world that could tear him away from her.

"Of course, I do know our religion differs from yours. Would that be a problem?"

"No. It wouldn't. Even though I believe in the gods, I would marry you in the Cathedral," she said, lowering her long eyelashes. He felt a surge of passion coursing through his veins, the love he felt for her filling his heart completely, threatening to burst.

"Well then," he replied. "It is settled. I'll go check the Cathedral first thing in the morning and talk to the Divine if I can. Or the Revered Mother. Whomever will speak to me first. I'll take Fiona, of course. I'll be needing a translator. I'll see if they can perform the wedding the day after tomorrow, or sooner even. We'll have to shop for a wedding dress for you. Leliana can help you do that."

"Wait- what?" She replied in shock. "You want to marry me right now? Right away?"

"My love," he crooned, his voice nearly a whisper, leaning over again, his face barely a few inches away from hers, "it's not like we'll be living a long life as it is. We might as well seize the moment and start living our lives together, don't you think?"

"But-"

He pressed a calloused finger over her lips, silencing her words gently, then began to trace the outline of her lips, causing her to tremble slightly under his touch.

"I won't take no for an answer," he said. "Surely you know by now how stubborn I am."

...


	28. Fire and Ice

**Thank you so much megglesnake, LadyCallia, Warrose and Jinx1983 for the wonderful reviews. All your help and support is greatly appreciated! :D **

**Bioware owns everything! I swear! :D **

Chapter 28 - Fire and Ice

_I swear to you_

_I will always be there for you_

_there's nothing I won't do_

_I promise you_

_all my life I will live for you_

_we will make it through_

_Forever, we will be_

_Together, you and me_

_Oh and when I hold ya_

_nothing can compare_

_With all of my heart_

_ya know I'll always be_

_right there_

_Bryan Adams - I'll always be right there_

.

.

Fiona could not have been more surprised at what she was hearing. She gazed up at her son, and saw the steely determination on his face and knew that he was going to go through with it, so she would be wasting her breath. Nevertheless, she did throw in a word or two of caution.

"Alistair, what if you do have to take the throne? Don't you see how much pain and suffering this would cause you both? They would call for an annulment."

"I'm sure they would," Alistair replied calmly. "However, I'm not taking the throne, and if I do..."

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"If you do...what?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," he grinned.

It was maddening. Maric had been the King of Improvisation. Yet this young man before her often thought things clearly before taking a single step.

She sighed. "All right. I think it's best we head over to the Cathedral right away. I'm sure that they will speak to us and you'll be able to get married as soon as you want. The 'Defender of Orlais' seems to be very popular here these days."

"Good to know."

"Don't you think Chantalle ought to be coming with us?" Fiona pressed.

"Oh. She's busy right now. I sent Leliana to get her to a good seamstress where she can find a wedding dress for her. It will probably take all day. I didn't want to go to that. It's bad enough listening to Leliana talk about shoes all the time," he grinned.

"And so you send her off with Chantalle? How very cruel of you," she smirked. "Let us be off, then!"

...

She stood in front of the throne, lost in thought and waiting for the arrival of her contact. Strong and determined, she swept an icy look around the room, which was fairly empty at the time.

Her mind was busy with her plans. As much as she longed to take action and send out the warrant for Alistair's arrest, she knew that she couldn't. She needed the nobles help at the Landsmeet and would have to wait.

She smoothed her dress and turned around. The throne stood there, in full view.

_Her_ throne.

She walked over to it and sat, the wheels in her mind still turning.

The Landsmeet would be two days after Satinalia and she was looking forward to it. She would have had the nobles convene sooner, but some of them were required to travel so the present schedule would just have to do. She wasn't going to lose her calmness when victory was so close.

The massive doors to the throne room opened and a guard announced the visitor she expected.

She gave a small smile and rose while she waited patiently for him to walk up to the steps that led up to the dais where she was standing. He knelt before her on one knee murmuring his greeting to her.

"Rise. What news do you bring?" Her cold voice commanded.

"My Queen, it is not what you were hoping for," the man stammered and fell silent.

Her icy blue eyes bore into his, searing him in spite of her coldness. She motioned to the guards stationed behind her.

"Leave us. I want the room cleared immediately."

The guards bowed and obeyed. As soon as the room was empty, she turned back to the man in front of her, who was waiting for her to speak.

"Continue with your report, Edgar," she said in a low voice.

"My Queen, Warden Commander Alistair Theirin has been in Orlais battling darkspawn. Apparently Orlais had been suffering severe attacks and some of the towns and villages have been completely destroyed. Val Royeaux is full of refugees."

Her eyes widened slightly, but she kept her emotions in check. Cool and composed was what she was best at doing, and so cool and composed she remained.

"Has he managed to defeat the darkspawn?" She was concerned, but not for the people of Orlais. She knew very well that a threat like that could easily spread into Ferelden if not stopped in time.

"Yes, my Queen. The attacks have stopped, and my contacts in Orlais report that they have lost track of him and his group. They think he was making his way towards the Frostback Mountains, but cannot be sure."

She stiffened at this.

"I do not pay you so generously for you to have doubts. Do you understand?" Her voice was so low, he scarcely heard her, and even though he did, he wished he hadn't. The Queen had a reputation of being harsh as well as cold. It would not do to anger her.

"Yes, my Queen. I understand perfectly, he said, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"You will tell your contacts to redouble their efforts. I want to know exactly what is happening. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Queen," he murmured again.

"Very well. Please leave me."

The man did not have to be told twice. He knelt once again and then hurried down the corridor and out the doors.

She stood there for a few moments, a frown slowly creasing her pretty brow, her blue eyes clouded with worry. She knew that the information she had received would take a while to spread into Ferelden, especially since it came from Orlais. She was confident that it would not reach the nobles' ears before the Landsmeet.

She had changed a lot over the years. When she had been married to Cailan, she had been well loved by the people and had always had a smile for everyone. Even though she had been composed and a bit cool, she had also been fair. She also knew, however, that the people loved her more because of Cailan. And now that she was alone, after all that had happened, her coldness had returned anew, with more vehemence than before.

Her thoughts turned to the man that she was seeking to destroy.

Alistair Theirin. Heir to the throne of Ferelden. King Maric's only bastard son, alive and currently Warden Commander of Ferelden. A title that she knew little about and did not really care enough to know. The only thing important to her right now was arresting him and having him executed. He was a threat to her and Ferelden. She had honestly thought that his visit to Orlais had been to gather forces to take the throne from her, but upon discovering that this what not so, she did not back away from her resolve to destroy him.

She loathed him with a passion.

For Warden Commander Alistair Theirin had murdered her father two years ago in this very room. He had executed the Hero of River Dane in front of all the nobles. And while she had gained the throne after the deed, she was not pleased with what had happened.

He had taken Loghain Mac Tir's life.

Her father.

The only thing she held dear in all of Thedas.

And now that she was alone, she had grown bitter. The hatred for him and the memory of her father's death constantly jarring her cool composure.

Her chest began to heave slightly as her breath quickened from the memory of it all. She fought to control her emotions and was pleased when she was able to do so. She regained her outer calmness and icy demeanor almost immediately. The same one she wore every day in court. The same one that had stopped an Elven uprising by slaughtering a crowd of elves in the Alienage recently. The same one that focused mainly on procuring money for the throne and Ferelden, yet did nothing to relieve the commoners from their burdens. What was important was Ferelden at all cost. Even if it meant sacrificing second-class citizens and commoners in the process.

The people of Denerim did not call her 'The Ice Queen' for nothing.

...

Alistair was extremely happy at the moment. He had just been to the Cathedral with Fiona. The wedding had been arranged for the following morning. He could hardly wait and his whole being vibrated with anticipation.

Fiona walked beside him, having a bit of trouble keeping up. She had to give little runs to walk by his side, for he was walking at a fast pace, taking long strides as he walked. He was not paying attention to anything but what was going on in his mind. He was a little surprised, therefore, when he suddenly found himself walking alone, Fiona having stopped a few paces back, unable to keep up with him.

When his eyes found her, standing in the middle of the square, he could see that she was glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

"What?" He said, oblivious to what was happening.

"I just cannot keep up with you, Alistair. I don't take huge steps like you do! And you're walking so fast!" She was still glaring.

"Oh! Sorry about that. I-uh- didn't notice," he said contritely.

"Obviously."

She walked up to him but his eyes had suddenly found Leliana and his future bride, carrying packages as they made their way through the crowds of people. His face lit up as he ran towards them, while Fiona rolled her eyes and followed.

Alistair gave Chantalle a quick kiss as Leliana sighed happily at the sight of him.

"Alistair! Thank the Maker! A gentleman to the rescue!" She quickly deposited a series of packages she was holding into his arms, and Fiona smiled as she urged Chantalle to do the same, even placing the packages in his arms herself. Soon he could barely see where he was walking, so he started to walk with them very slowly, watching his step carefully.

He soon discovered that he was being left behind.

"He-ey," he huffed behind them. "I can hardly keep up with everything I'm carrying, would you mind slowing down over there?"

And from somewhere in front of him came Fiona's voice.

"Oh! Sorry about that. We-uh-didn't notice."

He immediately noticed the smirk in her voice and groaned.

...

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The wardens who were close to them attended, but she walked the aisle alone, looking straight at Alistair.

Alistair felt like he was in some kind of a dream. Surely the beautiful woman walking towards him in the flowing cream colored dress was a vision? He found himself drifting during the ceremony staring at her, and as the wedding was in Orlesian, Fiona had been nearby, whispering all the important parts in Ferelden.

He did manage to smile happily when they were pronounced man and wife, right on cue, and then it was time to kiss his bride, which he did most passionately, earning blushes from the Revered Mother and whistles and guffaws from his fellow wardens, Duran and Oghren specifically.

He didn't care one bit. For the first time in the last few months he did not blush at all, and rested his forehead against hers after the kiss was over. Then they walked the aisle together back to the entrance of the grand cathedral and towards the compound.

The tables in the mess hall had been pushed to the sides of the large room and they were laden with food and drink. They had bards singing and playing musical instruments, and people were dancing already.

Alistair and Chantalle found themselves dancing after Anders bet that he couldn't do it without stepping on her toes. He accepted the challenge.

He stumbled over his feet all the time they were dancing and blushed profusely.

"I'm really bad at this," he mumbled apologetically. "But now that I want to win the bet, I'm keeping away from your feet, and mine keep getting tangled up in the process."

She laughed at this, and he grinned. If his stumbling would make her grin like that, then he would happily stumble all night long.

Duran and Oghren were drinking ale and Anders was chatting to Leliana. Leonie was mingling with everyone, her dimpled smile all over the place.

And then, just as Alistair and Chantalle were getting ready to make their way to their room unnoticed, a warden ran into the hall, nervous and out of breath. He was the leader of the scouting group that had been sent just outside the city gates to patrol and watch for anything amiss.

Leonie approached him as he stood there gasping for breath for a few minutes. The dancing stopped, and the music faded, the bards suddenly unnaturally quiet.

After speaking to the man for a few minutes, Leonie turned to face Alistair and Chantalle, a frown on her face.

"Bad news, wardens. Darkspawn have been sighted just outside the city gates. One of them spoke to Antoine. He said that he wanted the Warden Commander of Ferelden to come to the underground tunnels with his group and the elven mage."

"Here we go," whispered Alistair under his breath.

...


	29. The Moment of Truth

**Firstly I want to thank megglesnake, PheonRen, Warrose and my cyber sista Jinx1983, as well as all those of you who are following this fic closely! It's YOU that motivate me to continue writing! I love you all! :D **

**This is a short but intense chapter! Hope you all like it! :D **

**Bioware owns! All hail Bioware! :P **

Chapter 29 - The Moment of Truth

_There's no love - like your love._

_And no other - could give more love._

_There's nowhere - unless you're there._

_All the time - all the way._

_Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for._

_I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more,_

_Yeah, I would fight for you - I'd lie for you._

_Walk the wire for you - yeah, I'd die for you._

_You know it's true._

_Everything I do. I do it for you._

_Bryan Adams - Everything I do_

.

.

Alistair caught Chantalle's arm as they followed the scout to the entrance of the tunnels. They had changed back into their armor back at the compound and were carrying their weapons.

"My love," he said, "I want you to stay with me at all times. Things can get really ugly down there, and I want to protect you."

She smiled and put a hand against his cheek. He placed his large hand over it and held it for a few moments. The look they shared held the love they felt for one another.

"I will always love you, Alistair. The gods have been kind to me," she whispered.

"I love you so much," he whispered back and kissed her.

"Warden Commander. The entrance is up ahead." Fernan's silent form appeared beside him.

Alistair broke away from Chantalle's embrace. He turned to Fiona and took a long look at her.

"Follow my lead," he said quietly.

"But I made a deal. We both did," Fiona replied, looking at him with such intensity, he smiled.

"I know. But I've been thinking about all of the possible outcomes to this. I've come to possible solutions for them also. So if things turn out awry, just follow my lead." He responded.

"Always, Commander." Fiona's look was hard and penetrating, unwavering.

With one a brief nod, he turned to them all and faced them.

"We are wardens. Let's show them what we are made of." He said.

"For the Grey Wardens!" They said in unison.

And as he descended into the hole, he quipped back to all of them, his voice loud and clear.

"That bastard interrupted my wedding night. I am _so_ going to cut off its head."

...

They walked through the dark tunnels, and were only able to see thanks to the light from Fiona's staff.

Alistair quickened his pace a bit, catching up with her.

"Fiona, I want you to refuse giving your blood. Be firm about it, and stress that we need evidence," he whispered.

"How will we even know if the evidence it provides is truly the 'General'?"

"Exactly. I have a feeling it will try to trick us. We must ask for more time, until we receive a missive from Weisshaupt confirming that the darkspawn have retreated and they are no longer fighting."

"That could take weeks," she said. "What about the Landsmeet?"

"Shit," Alistair cursed, then blushed, thankful of the darkness which concealed it. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Well then, I guess we'll have to go along with Plan B."

"And what exactly is Plan B?" Fiona asked.

"Just trust me and follow my lead," he replied, grinning.

"We're going to fight, aren't we?" Fiona realized, grinning back at him.

"Now I know you truly _are_ my mother," he retorted, his grin deepening.

...

They had been walking for some time when the tunnels ahead opened into a much larger chamber, which had fires lit on the ground in various places, so there was enough light for them to see.

They did not like what they were seeing, however.

Around the fires and beyond, stood a horde of about two hundred darkspawn. The creatures hissed and roared at them, the ones that had been sitting stood up quickly.

All of them moved into a defensive pose, whipping out their weapons and standing fast, waiting for Alistair's command.

But then the darkspawn suddenly parted to reveal a path that led directly up to a cloaked figure which was making its way slowly to where Alistair and his group stood. It finally stopped a few feet away and put its hood down, so that they could see its face clearly.

"It is wise that you chose to come immediately," the Beloved said quietly. It fixed a stare on Fiona, its mouth working into what resembled a grin. "You must come with me."

Fiona stayed put.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, grim and determined. "We don't know if the General is dead or not. We need proof."

"I do not like this game you play," the Beloved hissed. "We had an arrangement. You **must** give me your blood."

"We need proof that the General is dead," Alistair said. "Either you give us the proof, or you get nothing. The arrangement we made required you to give us proof of the General's death."

The Beloved burst out laughing.

"Proof, is it? You will get your proof, Warden Commander."

It motioned to one of the darkspawn with it, which left and returned with a bag.

The Beloved opened it and flung its contents at them.

The object from the bag sailed through the air and landed directly at their feet. It was the severed head of a hurlock general.

"There is your proof," The Beloved said.

"And before we give you any blood, I suggest you send your kin away," Alistair retorted.

"Send my kin away? Make them leave?" Its grin made their blood run cold for a few moments.

"There are only nine of us, and -oh, I don't know - two hundred of you? Once we give you the blood, you will let them have their way with us." Alistair added quietly, walking right up to where the Beloved stood.

"Well, I cannot control the urges of my brethren completely," the Beloved grinned, now a mere few inches away from Alistair.

"That's funny. Real funny. Because I can't control my grey warden urges either."

And immediately after saying this, he pivoted on the spot and cleanly severed the Beloved's head. The headless body fell to the ground before them, its head flying through the air, landing and rolling to a stop at the darkspawn's feet.

For the briefest of moments, the darkspawn stood there, staring at what had happened. Then they raised their weapons into the air and gave a war cry almost in unison, their eyes glinting malevolently in the dimly-lit chamber.

"Fiona or Anders!" Alistair yelled. "Do you happen to know any mass paralysis spells? Because if you do, that spell would certainly come in handy right now!"

Fiona immediately began to cast.

The darkspawn charged and were paralyzed a few seconds later, caught in Fiona's spell.

"Plan B," he grinned at her. "Everyone run!"

And they all turned round, and started to run back to where they had come from.

...

They ran through the tunnels, the darkspawn close on their tails, as Fiona's spell had worn off a few moments before. The only light that enabled them to see in the darkness was the light coming from her staff.

Alistair was nearly out of breath by the time the opening to the surface loomed up ahead. He ran straight to the slope that led to the surface, panting, the rest close behind.

"All right. Here is the way we do it: Fiona, Chantalle and Leliana, you go first. We'll follow you."

The darkspawn were getting closer.

"We all go together," Chantalle protested.

"Yes, we _are_ going together, only you're going first," he said, giving her a gentle push.

They scrambled up and out of the opening, turning to look down at the rest. Alistair then ordered the rest of his wardens out. Duran would not leave.

"Stubborn fool," Alistair growled.

"Sorry to disappoint, Warden Commander. I'm not going anywhere," he said gruffly.

"Well then, I suggest you stand back if you value your manly parts." He was laughing quietly as he faced him.

"What?" Duran blinked back.

"Hey! Everyone step away from the entrance! Now!" Alistair called up. He then took out a fire bomb, a soulrot bomb and several acid flasks from his pack. Fiona, who was the nearest one to the entrance saw what he was doing, and had to practically drag Chantalle away. The rest backed away from the entrance as well.

Duran's eyes widened, but he broke into a wolfish grin as he was handed two of the flasks.

"Let's do this," Alistair said. And without thinking twice, he threw a fire bomb directly into the path of the oncoming darkspawn.

The fire bomb burst with an explosion that burned the ones it hit, halting the approach of the ones behind and setting several darkspawn on fire. The force of the explosion hit them both, but they stood their ground. Alistair knew very well it would not be enough. He flung the soulrot bomb a little further, while Duran flung one of the acid flasks to the right and the other one to the left.

Alistair continued flinging the last of the acid flasks. Darkspawn bodies were dropping at an alarming rate, the force of their attack had diminished, but they were all out of bombs and flasks.

"Let's move it," Alistair whispered as they ran up the slope to the group, much to the relief of those who were anxiously waiting for them on the surface.

Chantalle gave a cry, making a movement, clearly attempting to rush into his arms, but he raised his hand, indicating that she should stop.

"Wardens, get ready to fight!" He yelled at them all.

Then the darkspawn starting spilling forth from the entrance and they all rushed into the fray at once, shouting their battle cries as they did.

...

_We're going to die. We're going to die but at least I loved and was loved._

Alistair fought like a madman, his love at his side, her blonde hair already coming undone from the speed of her attacks, the strands falling on her beautiful face as she danced her lethal dance.

_Maker's breath! Even while fighting she is beautiful!_

"Fernan! What do you see behind you?" Alistair called out, as he bashed his shield into a coming genlock's face, feeling great satisfaction as he heard the bones of its face crush from the force of the blow.

"Nothing! What am I supposed to be looking for?" Fernan replied, as he twirled his daggers, slashing the stomach of the hurlock he was fighting.

"Why isn't she here already?" He said out loud, impatience lading his voice.

"Who? Why isn't _who_ here?" Fiona asked between spells.

The darkspawn were slowly surrounding them. Even as they killed one, three or four were taking the fallen one's place. They all had on the rings that granted them extra health and stamina, so they were giving it all they got.

"Plan B!" Alistair managed to say, before slicing off another genlock's arm. He then turned and quickly put his shield in front of Chantalle, stopping the progress of a greatsword coming down on her fast. He used an attack assault on the offending hurlock that had attacked his wife, and killed it.

"You mean that what we were doing back there was not Plan B?" Fiona retorted as she cast a cone of cold spell on five attacking creatures, freezing them neatly on the spot.

"That is only the start of the plan set into motion," he grinned, pivoting around and finishing off a genlock this time.

And then Alistair quickly glanced behind him, his eyes catching sight of what he was waiting for at last.

Warden Commander Leonie Caron was fast approaching the battlefield where they were fighting. And her two hundred wardens had come with her.

...


	30. Decisions

**I want to thank those of you who have reviewed this fic: Megglesnake, Jinx1983, PheonRen, LadyCallia and Warrose. You guys make my day! Thanks also to all who have added this fic to their favorites and who are following it closely! :D **

**On to this emotional and intriguing chapter! :D **

**Bioware owns everything! **

Chapter 30 - Decisions

_Oh when you feel your hearts guarded,  
And you see the brakes started,  
And when the clouds above Departed,  
You'll be right here with me,  
And when your tears are dry from crying,  
And when the worlds turned silent,  
So when the clouds above Departed,  
You will be right here with me,  
I will be right here with you  
you'll be right here with me  
Brandy - You'll be right here with me_

.

.

This was more like it. Alistair grinned as he saw them fall, one by one, Leonie and her men cutting through them so easily, he felt like laughing out loud. Chantalle smiled beside him and danced around a hurlock, slicing its throat before he could even strike. He grinned at his wife.

_My wife! Maker's breath, just look at her! _

She glanced to the right and ran off to help Fernan and Alistair turned his attention to a hurlock that was trying to get to Fiona. The hurlock laughed once, and his head rolled to the ground.

Leonie was not the Warden Commander of Orlais for nothing. She fought like someone possessed, and she and her men managed to hack right into the bulk of the darkspawn horde not a moment too soon. Alistair grinned as he watched them drop like flies.

His smile froze. A genlock rogue, appearing suddenly behind Chantalle. Chantalle turning, surprise in her eyes and on her face. Then...

Everything seemed to slow down. He heard the roar come from his throat, as he sprinted towards her, but he already knew he was too slow, far too slow. Saw her fall, slowly, gracefully to the ground, the blood spurting from her chest, like red ribbons flying through the air. Saw her lying there, terribly still and pale until he finally reached her and took her in his arms.

She was cold, so cold!

"FIONA! FIONA!" He bellowed, pure agony in his voice as he tried to stop the flow of blood with his own hands, pressing on the wound.

Fiona was suddenly there, applying healing magic to her wound. Anders arrived promptly as well.

"Maker!" Alistair cried out, still holding her.

"That blade was poisoned, Alistair! I don't know if I'll be able to-" But Fiona was interrupted.

"No! Don't say what you are going to say! She can't die! She can't! Anders!"

Anders got closer, his hands hovering over her.

Chantalle opened her eyes, and smiled up at Alistair. He gave a strangled cry and her hand went up to his cheek. It was shaking badly.

"My love," He could barely speak, his voice cracked and hoarse.

"I love you Alistair. You are everything to me." Her breathing hitched, and then her eyes closed.

And a scream burst forth from Alistair Theirin that was so loud it could be heard all the way to the city gates.

...

Zevran Arainai moved through the shadows, keeping his eyes on the man that was sneaking around.

The man was wearing dark leather armor and was moving slowly, carefully measuring each step as he made his way through the market square pausing only to look over his shoulder.

Zevran flattened himself against one of the walls that surrounded the Chantry and waited until he heard soft footsteps moving away. He then crouched and advanced, keeping his distance but never once letting his guard down and making it a point to remain hidden.

The man he was following was a Crow. There was no doubt about it. He also knew that he was a stupid man, and stupid didn't sit well with the Crows. He had already seen him make two mistakes, and that had told him that this man probably didn't have much experience, which made sense. Even from where he was standing, Zevran could tell he was young.

At first he had thought that the man was looking for him and that he was the target. But when he had walked right next to him at the inn where he was eating his dinner, and the man had not even acknowledged he was there, he decided that maybe he wasn't the target after all.

So when this young man had left the inn, and started to sneak around the shadows, Zevran had followed him.

And now, he watched as the man went right up to another shadow.

From where he crouched, he could hear their conversation, but not be seen.

"This is your contact. She is expecting you tomorrow morning. You must do this and not fail, or you will become a liability to us. And we have a way to deal with liabilities quickly and successfully. You will return to us only after you have eliminated the target."

The younger man took a piece of parchment, and nodded. He then turned to leave and the older man, too, disappeared into the shadows.

Zevran waited until the younger man was at a reasonable distance from where he was, then he continued to follow, keeping to the shadows.

Then, when he reached one of the dark back alleys, he got closer. He made sure there was nobody around and moved in for the kill.

The young man did not even hear him approach. His gasp turned into a gurgle as Zevran silently and deftly slashed his throat.

Zevran searched his pockets and found the note.

He had a smile on his face when he turned, making his way to The Pearl.

He was relieved now that he knew for sure that the Crows were not targeting him. Not yet anyway. At the same time he was infinitely curious.

Why would the Queen of Ferelden have the need to hire the Crows?

He entered the Pearl and went to his room. Pausing, he checked to see if there was anyone in the corridor before opening his door, something he did out of habit. Once inside, he locked the door and sat on the only chair in the scarcely furnished room.

But as much as he pondered on his question, he knew that he would not get an answer. Not tonight anyway.

He walked towards the washbasin in the room and proceeded to take off his armor and wash away the blood from his hands, neck and face. Then he cleaned up his armor and took the rest of his clothes off, washing up the grime and sweat from his body.

Once he was done, he headed for his bed and slipped under the cool sheets completely naked.

He smiled to himself. Queen Anora was a well known tyrant already. She must have the need to have someone murdered; he knew that she had a lot of enemies. He also knew that she had never set eyes on him, as Duran and Alistair had not taken him when they had gone to rescue her from the clutches of Rendon Howe. She might have caught the briefest of glimpses of him at the Arl's estate, but he was almost sure she would not recognize him right away.

Tomorrow was going to prove a very interesting day indeed.

...

The cold eyes of Anora Mac Tir assessed the person in front of her. He was cool and composed, and it seemed to her that he was familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him before. She only knew that he was an elf and it was enough to send alarm bells ringing, because elves hated her at the moment.

"You wished an audience with me? Speak," she said, not bothering to smile.

"You contacted the Crows, yes?" Hazel eyes bore into her blue ones, making her falter for a moment.

She turned to the guards and asked them to leave. Once she was alone, she looked back at the elf, and saw that he had a smirk on his face.

This annoyed her immensely.

"You work for the Crows?" She asked pointedly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

He had an Antivan accent. Where had she seen him before? If only she could remember.

"Do I know you?" She asked in icy tones.

The elf's smirk deepened.

"You might have seen me before, very briefly, in passing. You were too busy giving orders to your men," he lied easily.

Anora did not know that he was lying but she reflected on his answer deeply before she spoke again.

"You know what I want done?" She asked.

"I was sent here so that you could tell me what you want done," he replied, his voice cool.

"I need proof," she bristled.

The elf gave her a smile that did not reach his eyes. He took a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her.

_Contact is Queen Anora. She wants to hire us. Seek her out, agree, get target's name. Carry out the job. Return for payment._

Anora returned the parchment to him, smiling this time.

"I see you are the person I have been waiting for. I did not expect an elf," she said, her voice low.

He did not reply to what she had said, merely looked at her in a detached manner. She blushed faintly and cleared her voice.

"I want you to kill someone. I want it to look like an accident. You will be paid for this of course. And I will also pay the Crows. I will give you fifty sovereigns which should cover for your expenses. When you are done, you will return here, and I shall give you another fifty sovereigns." Her tone was brisk and businesslike, and Zevran kept his gaze on her, noticing the faint flicker of excitement in her eyes.

"That is very generous of you. Normally we are not paid by clients. It is the Crows who pay us a portion. I will make sure that the person you want dead meets with an unfortunate accident accordingly," he smiled, his eyes amused and warm.

She smiled back at him and nodded. She had a hard time getting her emotions under control, so close was she to achieving her task, and she laughed to herself when she thought about her victory. She would go ahead with the Landsmeet because news of his death would not have reached them by then. It was perfect. Nobody would suspect of her, it would be a fortuitous accident, that would lead to her finally securing the throne and getting her revenge at the same time.

"You will travel to Orlais." She said, her tone quivering with emotion. Zevran noticed this and was most curious, but suddenly he knew who his target was even before she opened her mouth again to speak.

"You will find Warden Commander Alistair Theirin there. He is a Grey Warden, I know, but you have been recommended to me as individuals who do not stop until they get the job done. You will seek him out and kill him. It must be done discretely and must be made to look as an accident. If it is not made to look as an accident, I will consider this a failed mission and nobody will get payment."

"It will look like an accident, I assure you. I am quite capable of accomplishing that," he shot back quickly, exuding self-confidence.

The queen smiled. She turned to a desk behind her and took out a money pouch. After handing it to him, she spoke again.

"You will leave immediately. I have other people in Orlais spying on this man for me, but if you are as efficient as you say you are, you will make sure that they do not see you."

He nodded and smiled back at her.

"Rest assured, my Queen. It will be as you say." He murmured.

"Thank you, you may leave now." Anora said, her voice vibrant and warm.

"If I may, before I leave?" Zevran paused, waiting for her reaction.

It was just the one he expected. She stiffened and her icy glare challenged him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Why is this man such a threat to you? I am merely curious. I like to know as much about the target as I can. It helps me to gather information so I can make his death look accidental enough," the words rolled off his tongue easily.

Anora thought about this for a while before she replied.

"He is a threat to the throne of Ferelden. And he is the Warden Commander of the Grey Wardens. That is all you need to know."

Zevran heard the underlying hatred with which she spoke. It was enough for him. He bowed low and left the chamber.

Once outside he made his way back to the Pearl, gathered his possessions in his pack and then walked to the Denerim docks.

After he actually secured passage on a ship and boarded, he made his way to the deck, and looked around. Satisfied that he was not being followed or tracked by anyone, he leaned on the railing, staring down at the dark blue water that lapped lazily around the ship.

He smiled in anticipation at the task that lay before him.

...

Alistair took a breath of fresh air. It was late in the afternoon, and the sun was fast setting. He had just been to an audience with the Empress and had gotten what he wanted, so he was feeling quite smug in spite of everything that had happened the last week.

He made his way to the market square, stopping at a stand which sold knick-knacks and whatnots and began to browse through all of them. Something caught his eye and he smiled. He now knew the Orlesian phrase for 'how much' and he pointed to the object and asked the merchant for the price.

He found it to be much cheaper than he thought it would be and bought it straight away. He then stopped at the flower stand, just before reaching the compound itself. He bought a single red rose and smiled to himself. Then, he entered the compound and made his way to the mess hall. The wardens there waved at him and smiled and he waved back. He did not see Fiona there, so he guessed she must be in his room.

He took off in the direction of his room, pausing only at the kitchens where he snatched some bread, cheese and wine.

He opened the door quietly and stepped into the room. Fiona was sitting on a chair in front of the bed and he placed his parcel and food on the table, while hiding the rose behind him as he walked over to the figure lying under the sheets.

"Hello, my love," he said softly and bent down to kiss Chantalle on her forehead.

Chantalle smiled at him, her whole face lighting up with joy and love. His heart hammered in his chest at this.

"Thank the Maker that you are back, Alistair. You must tell your wife that she has to continue to be patient. She was near death, and only just recovering from the experience. She must continue to rest, even though she feels perfectly fine," Fiona chided, sounding for once remarkably like Wynne, who had travelled with them during the Blight.

"But I'm so very bored!" Chantalle said, and pouted.

His eyes fixed on the pout, wishing he could kiss it and take her lips into his mouth and suck them gently. He felt his blood racing through his veins and his groin started to ache and throb. Giving himself a mental shake, he turned to the elven mage and grinned at her affectionately.

"She's giving you a hard time, I take it?" He managed, keeping his laughter in check.

But Fiona knew what he was feeling and smiled.

"How did your meeting go, my love?" Chantalle said, her voice warm.

He turned back to her and his eyes locked on hers. The look on his warm amber eyes sent butterflies fluttering into her stomach.

Fiona ignored the passionate glance they shared, and waited for Alistair's reply.

"It went along perfectly. I'm really happy with the result. So happy, that I got you something on the way back, my love," he said softly and held out the red rose to her.

Her eyes widened slightly with surprise and looked up at his with love.

"Oh, my husband, how beautiful!" She took the rose gently and held it to her nose, breathing in its fragrance.

"Just like you," he murmured and sat on the bed, taking her free hand in his.

"Well," Fiona said. "Now that you are back and bring good news and food, I'll leave you two alone. She has fully recuperated now and I can safely say we can travel soon.

"That is fantastic, Fiona," Alistair replied, but kept his eyes on Chantalle, feeling molten fire coursing through his veins now. That Fiona was now announcing that she was fully recuperated meant two things. And they both excited him immensely.

The first one was that her life was no longer in danger, and that she was now back to normal. The poison in the blade that had missed her heart by a couple of inches had been very strong; one of the rogue wardens in the compound had identified as 'quiet death'. It had taken them five days alone to fully stop and eliminate all traces of the poison in her body. The only comforting thing was that she had been unconscious through it all.

The second thing that excited him and was now making him ache for her was the fact that they had not been intimate since the night before the wedding, seven days ago exactly. He was looking forward to it, to put it mildly.

"I'll be going now," Fiona said rather loudly as she rolled her eyes. "Good night both of you."

Alistair didn't hear her. Chantalle didn't look at her.

She rolled her eyes again and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

Then, smiling to herself, she went down to the mess hall to have her dinner at last.

...


	31. Surprise Visit

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**This chapter starts off with very Mature content, so get ready for the smut! Fair warning: Very adult content ahead! :D **

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Chapter 31 - Surprise Visit

_Tonight it's very clear  
As we're both lying here  
There's so many things I want to say  
I will always love you  
I would never leave you alone_

_I am a man who will fight for your honor  
I'll be the hero you're dreaming of  
We'll live forever  
Knowing together that we  
Did it all for the glory of love_

_Glory of Love - Peter Cetera_

.

.

Chantalle closed her eyes, sighing with pleasure, while Alistair gently removed her silk shift, up and over her head. He drew in his breath and caressed her lightly, his fingertips sending trails of fire over her skin and breasts. His fingers circled her nipples and gently pinched.

She arched her back, her hands on the mattress. He pulled her closer, while undressing in between. He was impatient to get out of his clothes, having finished discarding his armor only minutes before.

The sounds she was making inside his mouth as he kissed her were driving him crazy. He got the last piece of clothing off, and sighed happily, hands still travelling restlessly around her. Without breaking their kiss, he laid her back, very gently, and his kisses travelled from her neck to her collarbone and from there to the valley between her large and lovely breasts.

His tongue flicked out and he tasted her.

_Maker's breath! It's been too long...too long..._

Of course, it hadn't been that long, only seven days, but for Alistair it had felt like an eternity without touching her, feeling her, tasting her, making love to her. Her moans increased, and she bit her lower lip, but he continued at the same slow pace, rediscovering all the soft spots in her body that sparked her desire. The ones that made her buck at him with frenzy. The ones that made her cry out with passion. The ones that made her grab his hair and entwine her fingers in it. The ones that made her touch him, till he cried into her mouth, the pleasure making his breathing heavy and irregular.

He was taking his time, which he knew was driving her crazy. He smiled at her as he watched her reach down to her dark blond curls and caught her hand in his.

"No cheating," he laughed softly. "Allow me..."

Then his hand was at her nub, his thumb softly massaging it again and again, his eyes dark with desire as he watched her reaction. Gently, and so very slowly, he pushed one finger in her, and she cried out, moving her head from side to side.

"Alistair..." her voice was full of emotion, her cheeks flushed. When she opened her eyes, they were so dark they were almost black.

Another finger in her sent her pushing down onto his hand involuntarily. He lowered his face, and kissed the insides of her thighs as he continued moving his fingers in and out, touching her nub all the while, feeling her climb towards her release.

When she came, he continued thrusting his fingers, which were now wet with her essence, then very slowly pulled them out. He licked them, and she shivered, her eyes fixed on him and what he was doing, her heavy breathing urging him on. His head bent down lower and his tongue and mouth began to lick and suck her nub until his tongue found its way to the entrance of her core.

She mewled with pleasure, feeling herself build up for another orgasm. His hands shot up to her breasts, while her hands and arms trailed ribbons of fire over his back and shoulders.

When he felt her get close, so very close, he stopped, and she protested audibly.

"Alistair!"

He laughed again, and his head went down to her breasts this time, suckling at her nipples.

He then positioned himself above her, and brought his lips down on hers, devouring her mouth as he took himself in his hand and felt around for her entrance, gently pushing into her.

Her legs immediately locked around his waist, and he pushed his way in completely, then stopped still, looking deeply into her half-closed eyes.

"My love," his whisper was throaty, needy.

Then he started to move.

She met his thrusting eagerly, matching his rhythm, till they rocked together in a sea of pleasure, calling out each other's names and clinging to each other.

Alistair felt his release drawing near and he tried to control himself. He pushed harder, his pace quickening slightly. His hand travelled to her nub again. He needed her to come first as she always did. Her wants, needs and desire were always placed before his.

When her walls tightened around him and he felt her start to shudder, he knew she was there, and groaned into her mouth, devouring her pink lips, feeling his brain burst with the intensity of his desire. His own release was not far.

Quickening his pace, his thrusts went in deeper, his forehead was resting on hers now, his sweat mingling with hers.

He felt himself on the brink, her muscles were still tightening around his shaft, and he let go with a growl and a shudder, as she pressed into him convulsing, squeezing.

"Chantalle!" Came his strangled cry as he felt his seed shooting into her. She dug her fingernails into his arms, her legs tightening around his waist in a vise grip.

They clung to each other, panting, sweaty and elated, their hearts beating wildly, catching their breaths.

Alistair eased himself out after a few minutes, and pulled her onto his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

And it was this way that Zevran found them, naked and falling asleep on the bed as he climbed over the window sill and walked slowly into the room.

...

"Ah, I wish I had arrived sooner," Zevran drawled to the half-asleep couple in amusement, as he watched Alistair jolt up and clutch at the sheet at their feet to cover both himself and Chantalle hurriedly.

"What the fuck!" He cursed as he glared at the elf, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face. "What in the Maker's name are you doing _here_, Zevran?"

"Admiring the view, my dear warden," Zevran replied, chuckling.

"You scared me half to death!" Alistair exclaimed.

"Only half? I was hoping to accomplish more than that," the elf smirked at him again, raising an eyebrow.

Alistair made sure the sheet was still covering Chantalle up. In fact, he made sure that only her head could be seen. Then he leaned over and grabbed his trousers, which were lying at the foot of the bed in a heap.

Pausing, he glanced back up at Zevran.

"Do you mind?" He glared. "I'd like to put these on, thank you!"

"What you have is nothing I haven't seen before, Alistair," he chuckled.

"Zevran..." Alistair's voice had a warning note to it and the elf sighed deeply before turning around and facing the wall.

As soon as Alistair had his trousers on, he spoke.

"So what are you doing here, then? I notice you didn't answer my question," he remarked and walked to him, watching him turn to face him.

"Ah, my dear Templar. I'm on a mission here. A very exciting one as it were," his eyes danced merrily.

"What mission, Zevran?"

"I was sent to kill you, my dear warden."

...

Chantalle let out a curse from the bed. Zevran's eyes darted to her automatically. He had seen her delicious body before Alistair had managed to cover her and the memory of it still lingered in his mind.

"Will you not introduce me to your luscious bed companion, my friend?" Zevran smiled, his eyes fixed on hers. She was glaring at him and he found that incredibly enticing.

"Hands off, Zev. That's my wife you're staring at," Alistair growled. Then, soon after and much to Chantalle's surprise, he held a hand out to the elf, which he took, and then they pulled each other into a bear hug.

He asked Zevran to sit at the table, which the elf did. Alistair remained standing, however.

"Who sent you to kill me, if I may ask?"

"Ah, Alistair. I have much to tell you. Unfortunately, the hour grows late, and I cannot offer you the complete story. It is too long and we would be speaking until dawn, yes?"

"I will see the Warden Commander here to arrange for a room for you. In the meantime, you could sleep in a guest room down the hall. It's unoccupied and comfortable," Alistair said.

"I have already rented a room at the local inn, my friend. But I will take you up on your offer tomorrow when I return."

"Allow me to introduce my wife properly, before you leave then," Alistair smiled. "This is Chantalle. Chantalle, this is Zevran Arainai, a former Crow, who travelled with us and helped us against the Blight," Alistair said politely while Zevran nodded his head at Chantalle. He could see that she was either Dalish, or a city elf with a penchant for tattoos.

"I am happy to meet you, Zevran," Chantalle smiled up at him and he could see that she was not happy at all. She was blushing with embarrassment at having been caught naked in bed, and this amused him further.

"I am at your service, my Lady," Zevran bowed. Chantalle's blush deepened and he smirked, turning his attention to Alistair once again.

"I will let you two to return to your nightly adventures. The hour is late and I'm weary from my journey. We will meet again tomorrow afternoon," He said, as he waved a goodbye to them both.

Without pausing to look back, Zevran slipped out through the window and vanished into the night.

Alistair closed and secured the window before turning to walk back to the bed.

"I didn't know he was your friend. When I heard him say he had been sent to kill you I was ready to jump at his throat," Chantalle mused.

"Zevran and I have never been close," Alistair remarked. And Chantalle's eyes flew open with surprise at this. "But he swore to protect my life and Duran's."

"Oh? And why?" She asked curiously.

"Because when we met him, he had been sent to kill us. He ambushed us along with ten other Crows. Things went very badly for himself and his companions. Well, things went worse for his companions. We killed them all. As it turned out, Duran spared his life, and he swore to protect us both."

"Really?" She was quite interested in the story, but Alistair had slipped under the sheet and was fondling her breasts gently. She took a breath and let it out in a sigh.

"I'll tell you the whole story tomorrow," Alistair murmured, his gaze fixed on her face, his desire for her fueled anew. "Right now, we have other matters to attend to, wouldn't you say, love?"

She met his lips halfway and they both kissed each other, Zevran and death threats vanishing from their minds instantly.

...

"_Anora_ sent you?" Alistair asked, his mouth agape.

They were all in Leonie's study, including Leonie, who watched the whole thing interestedly, her fascinated eyes on the elven assassin.

"Yes, Alistair. But that is not all. She has people spying on you as well. I managed to catch two already, but do not know if there are more than two at the moment. While I do appreciate staying here, I must be careful when entering and leaving the compound. I must not be seen by any of Anora's spies. So if I may make a request, my dear Warden Commander?" Zevran turned to Leonie and his eyes twinkled. He had caught her staring and for the first time since they had met, Alistair saw her blush.

"Certainly, Zevran," Leonie said, as she lowered her lashes.

_Maker's breath! He has her practically eating out of his hand! How does he do it? _

Zevran grinned.

"Please leave one of the windows in the back open at all times. It should not always be the same window and it should be one that is not at ground level. Could you arrange for this?" He looked at her, liking the effect he was producing in her.

"Yes, of course. It will be arranged immediately," she dimpled prettily at him.

Zevran's eyes darted to her dimples and he smiled.

Alistair rolled his eye at this.

"All right, all right, you two. Let's get back on track."

Aside from himself, Fiona and Chantalle were in the room, as well as Anders, Leliana, Duran and Oghren. Those were the only ones Alistair felt should know the truth. They were listening to all of this with various degrees of interest on their faces and Oghren was the only one there that was swaying on his feet slightly, taking swigs from the leather skin he kept with him at all times.

"Indeed," Zevran said. "What is it that you have done to cause the queen's wrath, my friend? When we parted, she seemed to like you both?"

"You're right about that, Zev," Duran said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "She was very grateful. In fact she was all right even when you-" he stopped his sentence right then and there and his eyes widened as he stared right up into Alistair's face.

"What?" Alistair said. "Do I have something on my face?"

"By the Stone!" Duran managed to say. "I think I know what has made her so bitter, Alistair! You beheaded Loghain, her father, right in front of her!"

Nobody spoke for a few moments.

"Do you think that is what it is?" Alistair asked.

"I have a feeling that is exactly what it is," Duran replied.

"There is also the fact that you are here, Alistair. From what I remember you telling me, Orlais was an obsession with her father. And remember what the arl said in his letter? She is convinced you came to Orlais to gather an army against her," Fiona said quietly.

"But she is calling for the Landsmeet to convene in order to convince the nobles to vote in favor of a warrant for my arrest!" Alistair protested. "Why would she be sending the Crows after me if she will probably gain their approval and have me arrested and executed in the end?"

"Because your death will be a fortuitous accident, and she would never need to bring up your name during the Landsmeet. That way, she will never be tied to your death, once everyone in Ferelden finds out what happened, and you will never be mentioned again, my friend." Zevran added quietly.

"I have to admit, it's a clever plan," Alistair mused.

"It's horrible!" Chantalle said, and she slipped a hand into his. He squeezed it back.

"The arl wrote to you then? Yes?"

"Yes, Zevran," Alistair said.

"But you and he were not talking to each other when we left, right?" Duran interrupted.

"No, we weren't. But he insists and persists in placing me on that throne," Alistair sighed.

Duran gave a low whistle.

"Well, then. By the time this is over we may be calling you 'your highness', instead of just plain old Alistair, huh?"

...

**A/N: We've reached a point in this fic where I must ask my readers what they think. I've put up a poll on my profile for this. Do you think that Alistair should become king or remain a warden? Just visit my profile page to cast your vote anonymously if you wish! I can go either way, I've already worked on the different directions this may go, and on two different endings as well. :) **


	32. The Trip to Amaranthine

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**The chapter after this one is very shocking and revealing. Therefore, this chapter is short and light on purpose. LOL **

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Chapter 32 - The Trip to Amaranthine

_I don't care  
I don't care if you don't  
I don't care if you don't  
I don't care if you don't care  
I don't care...  
Everyone is so full of shit  
Born and raised by hypocrites  
Hearts recycled but never saved  
From the cradle to the grave  
We are the kids of war and peace_

_I don't care - Green Day_

_._

_._

All too quickly they said their goodbyes. If they wanted to get to Amaranthine well before the Landsmeet in Denerim, they had to secure a trip on a ship to return.

Alistair and Chantalle made their way to the docks speaking to every captain they could, and finally found a ship that was bound for the port of Amaranthine. Chantalle and the man haggled on before finally settling for a price that was right for both parties.

Alistair had asked Leonie Caron to accompany him, as she would be the one who would help him at the Landsmeet with her testimony and she had agreed immediately, though Alistair wasn't sure if it was to help him or to be near Zevran. As it turned out, there were thirty-three of them on the ship for the journey back to Ferelden, twenty of them the Ferelden wardens he had ordered in from the keep to help put a stop to the darkspawn threat initially.

The trip itself would take seven days if the weather was kind, and Alistair found himself praying to the Maker it would be. His stomach lurched with each rise and swell of the sea, so he spent most of his time hanging onto the railing for his dear life and vomiting a great deal. It took much coaxing on Chantalle's side to finally take him below deck to the cabin he shared with her, where her cool fingers soothed his sweaty brow and the wet cloth she applied to his forehead soon calmed him enough to enable him to eat something and drink some water. As long as he remained below deck and the water itself was calm, he would be fine.

Zevran spent much of his time with Leonie which didn't come as a surprise to anyone there. They stayed below deck most of the journey and when they did join the rest on deck at odd times, Leonie had eyes only for him, which led them to come to the correct conclusion that she had finally met her match. She was much nicer to everyone and in a good mood all the time, and this in itself was somewhat of a blessing to them all.

As for Fiona, she divided her time between healing Alistair and writing down notes in a journal she kept. She was anxious to arrive at Vigil's Keep as she thought that the trunk with her belongings must already be there waiting for her. She wanted to get her hands on her work.

She had been doing some research on the brooch she had worn over twenty-five years ago in the Deep Roads, and wanted to continue to study its properties. She knew that the brooch had accelerated the stages of corruption. This is what had happened to herself and the rest of the wardens she had been travelling with. First Enchanter Remille had also been very explicit on the matter when he had revealed why he had really given them the brooches. But she felt there was something else that had yet to be discovered, and the wardens at Weisshaupt had agreed with her on this also.

After twenty-five years had passed, they still were not closer to an answer and had all but given up, leaving the whole project practically in her hands. Fiona was grateful. There was something she felt she had missed which she could not put her finger on, and she was impatient to get to it and possibly find out what it was.

Seven days later, nearly all of them stood on deck watching as the port of Amaranthine came slowly into view. The beauty of it all struck them dumb as they gazed at the horizon and the nearing dock bathed in the reddish colors of sunset, the sea glowing with a reddish-gold hue.

The peaceful view was interrupted by the groans of a man behind them.

Alistair stumbled on the deck, nearly falling overboard, his hands gripping the railing as he started to vomit into the sea below. His paleness had a greenish tint to it, his usual golden tan gone.

There was nobody onboard that was happier than he when the ship finally docked and his feet touched the solid ground at last.

...

Anora Mac Tir looked down upon her contact. The man was shaking a bit and she fought back the urge to call him a foolish coward.

"What is it now, Edgar?" She was so annoyed that she nearly spat out the words. The man kneeling before her flinched visibly and the queen fought to control herself. "Rise," she said wearily.

"My Queen, I bring you a report of your men stationed in Orlais," Edgar said, pulling a parchment out of his pocket.

He paused and Anora nodded at him, expecting him to continue.

_Oh for the love of the_ "...what does it say then?" Anora asked impatiently.

"Your Highness, Empress Celene has declared Warden Commander Alistair Theirin the 'Defender of Orlais'," he announced clearly, in spite of the fact that he was quaking in his boots as he did so.

Anora's brow furrowed in thought as she processed the information. She paced up and down the length of the dais, weighing down the implications of what it meant. The Empress herself had chosen to bestow a title upon Alistair. If he was still alive and had survived the assassination attempt, this could work in her favor. There were still nobles in Ferelden that resented Orlais and anything that had to do with the Orlesians.

She stopped in front of the man, a smile on her face, without really looking at him. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and her breathing hitched. She was overjoyed at this unexpected turn of events.

"Is there anything else?" She asked Edgar, still smiling to herself.

Edgar, who had seen her smile and the change that had come upon her, felt bolder and did not hesitate to babble out the rest of the missive he held in his hands.

"Empress Celene has declared all elves in Orlais free. They will no longer be treated as second-class citizens and will be allowed titles and riches from now on."

All traces of her smile vanished and her eyes flew open in shock at these words.

Edgar paled, his boldness vanishing instantly.

"Are you sure you have the correct information? Give me the parchment!" She said harshly as she took it from his now shaking hands.

She read it quickly, and felt anger start at the pit of her stomach and spread. After all she had done to put an end to the elven rebellions! She knew that when word of this got around, there would be no stopping them. That stupid Orlesian cow!

She took several deep breaths, fighting to gain her self-control once again. She must not give in to her emotions. She was the queen and she must act accordingly.

"Thank you Edgar, you may go now," she said clearly and quietly. The man knelt once and was gone.

Anora turned and sat on the throne behind her. She did not move for quite some time.

After a while she stood up again, her nostrils flaring. She could not allow this cow to ruin her place on the throne. She would have to do something about the elves and it would have to be done at the Landsmeet.

She grimaced for she did not like what she was going to do one bit, but the only thing on her mind right now was to be ahead of the empress, even if it meant going against the nobility of Ferelden.

She was queen and she could do this.

She had to.

...

The Keep welcomed them with open arms. Alistair and Nathaniel met and shook hands, Duran patted the rogue's back and laughed. When Alistair had finished introducing Leliana to Nathaniel, Anders stood by protectively and put an arm around the bard. Nate's eyes twinkled.

"What's this? The infamous Anders in love?" Leliana blushed and giggled at the comment while Anders just rolled his eyes, a faint blush slowly creeping on his cheeks.

"And he's blushing! Now that's something I thought I'd never see," Duran laughed.

Alistair grinned at the whole scene before him. It felt good to be back at the keep. He introduced Fiona next, but kept out the part about her being his mother. He wanted to do that publically later when he called for a meeting among his wardens.

He then introduced Leonie, and they bowed as a sign of respect to her, and she looked very pleased. Zevran had been smirking at all the teasing and now bowed as Alistair finally introduced him as well.

He saved Chantalle for last. She smiled at Nathaniel after Alistair had introduced them, and Nathaniel bowed and placed a quick kiss on her knuckles. He then straightened up and his eyes twinkled.

"Married, huh? That's a surprise, Commander. She is beautiful. Congratulations!"

"Thanks Nate," Alistair replied, feeling rather proud of Chantalle as he turned to beam at her.

"Will you be addressing the wardens today?" Nathaniel asked, readying himself to order the men to a meeting.

"No, Nate, we're tired from the journey and it's getting late. I do need some help in settling everyone in."

"Of course, and Warden Fiona?"

"Yes?"

"A trunk arrived for you two days ago, and I took the liberty of putting it in one of our spare rooms. That could be your room if you wish," he smiled.

"Excellent, and thank you," Fiona said.

"Right. I'll get everyone to show you to your rooms. We have some servants here who will prepare hot water for your baths as well. I know you must be hungry. Dinner is in a couple of hours in the mess hall," Nate's voice droned on and he gestured to a few wardens to make the rest feel at home and take them to their rooms.

...

Fiona sighed with relief when she saw the trunk placed against one of the walls of her new home. She hurried over to it and opened the locks with the key that Nathaniel had given her only moments before. She slowly began to unpack going through various books and setting them to the side. The rest of the things consisted of robes and clothes, several glass vials and several ingredients packed tightly into pouches or vials as well. Her hands slowly retrieved a small brown box and she opened that as well. A single onyx brooch stood out as it winked at her, catching the light in the room.

"I'll find the secret to you yet," she murmured as she closed the lid on it and set it back into her trunk.

...

Alistair sighed contentedly in the tub, watching his wife get out and dry herself. He was far from satisfied but knew that they could save the rest of their passionate interlude for later tonight. He was hungry and dinner was already waiting for them in the mess hall.

He stood up and dried himself also, dressing in leather trousers and a simple white tunic. Chantalle already stood before the only mirror in the room, having a little bit of trouble with the buckles on her leathers.

"Here, let me help you, love," he whispered into her ear, and kissed the tip, as his hands began to tighten the buckles lovingly. She sighed and looked into the mirror at their reflection, her eyes resting on his handsome face as he bent down and focused on getting the task done. When he finished with them, he lovingly placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed the nape of her neck, causing her to tremble slightly.

This shem had turned her entire world upside down, but it didn't really matter to her any longer. She was a part of him and he was a part of her now. The world they lived in was changing and even though she was an elf, she had adjusted to her surroundings and even to the humans very well. She supposed a lot of it had to do with the fact that she was Dalish, and the Dalish were survivors, adjusting to any situation and environment they encountered.

Alistair turned her around gently and kissed her. She felt the desire building up in her again, but instead of taking her to the bed, he broke away gently.

"Let's go, before I forget dinner is waiting for us in the mess hall," he said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Then, hand in hand, they walked out of the room together, pausing only to shut the door behind them.

...


	33. Satinalia in Amaranthine

**My deepest thanks to Jinx1983, megglesnake, LadyCallia, PheonRen and Warrose for their awesome reviews.**

**This chapter is long and complex. I've decided to write a little based on The Calling here, because it is necessary to the plot of the story. **

**So I warn those of you who haven't read the book yet that there are spoilers in this chapter. **

**The Calling, written by David Gaider, is a fantastic book. I urge you all to read it. **

**Bioware owns, and David Gaider does too! :D **

Chapter 33 - Satinalia in Amaranthine

_Now I've faded  
Into someone else  
Made me someone I don't wanna be  
Yeah I'm faded  
My true colour's gone  
Like a picture nobody sees  
Now I've faded  
Like I never was  
Till I don't even know myself  
Yeah I'm faded  
Into what you want  
But I'm not takin' it too well  
Cascada- Faded_

.

.

Fiona reached Alistair's study and straightened herself before knocking on the door. After a few minutes, Alistair's muffled voice came through.

"Come in."

She opened the door and went inside. He was looking at some papers, all bann-related, and frowning. He hated this part of his job, but as the current Arl of Amaranthine, there was nothing he could do to avoid it.

"Can I speak to you, Commander?" Fiona asked, and he looked up from his papers, surprised that it was Fiona who was standing there. He half-expected to see Nathaniel or Anders.

"Fiona! Of course," he gave her a smile. "Please, take a seat." He motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk and waited until she had sat before carrying on. "What can I do for you, Fiona?"

"Well, Alistair, I'm here to let you know what I was researching before they sent me to Orlais," she said seriously, her eyes fixed on his.

"I don't understand," Alistair frowned again, twirling a quill absentmindedly in his right hand. "I thought you said you were researching on the Architect?"

"Yes, that's true. But you must understand that the First Warden was greatly intrigued about the Taint and why all traces of it vanished from my body after our journey into the Deep Roads was over and we were able to stop the Architect from carrying out his plans back then."

Alistair nodded, leaning forward slightly in his chair and setting the quill down on the desk. He was also very interested in the matter, apparently.

Fiona took a deep breath and continued.

"The thing is that the brooches we were wearing had been enchanted by the First Enchanter Remille, who was Orlesian. He also was an ally of the Architect, but we didn't know this till much later. The Architect had taught him darkspawn magic, which was essentially evil and was pretty much what the Taint could do if it was given a certain..." she groped for the right word..."_essence_. He had harnessed this magic and learned it and in exchange enchanted the brooches so that we would be lured into a false sense of security while travelling the Deep Roads. He told us the brooches would hide us from the darkspawn...that what would happen is that they would not be able to sense us. This was true, but what he failed to tell us was that the brooches also enabled the Architect to know exactly where we were at all times. That, and also the fact that they were accelerating the Taint in us. The First Enchanter had also agreed to help spread the Taint on all people in Thedas, and did this to kidnap Maric and take him back to Orlais as a prize for the Orlesian Emperor."

She stopped. Alistair's eyes were so big, that they looked like they would pop out of their sockets any minute.

He shook his head slightly from side to side as if clearing it. After a few minutes, he found his voice again.

"So this brooch only affected the Grey Wardens, am I right?"

"You are correct."

"And it accelerated the Taint in them?"

"Yes," Fiona said calmly.

"Then that means that you, you..." his voice trailed off, groping for the right words, and Fiona interrupted him briskly before he could continue speaking.

"All the wardens, save Duncan, went through their Calling in the Deep Roads. Commander Genevieve, she was looking for her brother Bregan, another warden who had gone into the Deep Roads to die, but that is not important here. The point is that she turned. And Utha, turned too. Because the Architect finished the acceleration process when they said they wanted to follow it and they turned into darkspawn-like creatures themselves."

"Maker's breath!" Alistair hissed. His head was reeling from this information.

He then stood up and began to pace the room and after a few minutes, stopped and leaned against the desk, his arms crossed on his chest before him.

"What stages of corruption are we talking about for you and the rest of the wardens, I mean?"

"Our skin started to...rot and ...turn into darkspawn skin. We also heard the Calling in our heads. The hum...the...song, pulling us to join them." Fiona said, her eyes staring off into space.

"Maker!" Alistair ran his hand over his long hair, yanking on it on purpose-he needed some sort of pain of sorts to tell him that all this was not just a nightmare and he was not dreaming. He drew in a deep breath again, looking down at Fiona, who was calm and composed.

"But that isn't why I'm here, Alistair." She tilted her head up to look into his eyes again; hers were intense and fixed. They showed a strength of character that did not surprise Alistair at all.

"What is it then? What do you have to tell me Fiona?"

"I have one of the brooches with me. I have continued to study it, hoping for an answer as to why the Taint vanished without a trace for me. I think the brooch might have had something to do with it. I also have the dagger," she said quietly.

"Dagger?"

"I told you that Duncan hadn't experienced what we were experiencing. As a matter of fact he was the only one that remained untouched by the foul magic of the brooches and he managed to stop the First Enchanter when he was attacking us using darkspawn magic. Remille had created a dark cloud, full of the Taint, that was like an animal. I saw it consume our commander before our very eyes." She ignored Alistair's curse and went on, relentless, unwavering..."Duncan had a dagger, which looked like it had been made out of the same material used to make the brooches. Well..." she paused and tilted her head once again up to him.

"Do you remember the 'sticky fingers' story I told you a while back?" She asked, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

"He stole that dagger from the circle tower then?" Alistair guessed.

"Yes, Alistair," Fiona smiled. "From the First Enchanter's study, no less. And this dagger was the only thing that was able to fight the darkspawn magic and defeat it. This is why the brooch he was wearing had no effect on him."

Alistair grinned but Fiona did not. She was very serious when she spoke her next words.

"The point here is, that I have both. The dagger and the brooch. And this time it's different. This time, I'm going to discover a way to stop the Taint from spreading. This time, I'll find a way to give a grey warden more years to live, more time between his Joining and the Calling."

She stood up, resolute and trembling slightly, in spite of all her bravado.

"Because _nobody_ deserves to end up that way... _**Nobody**_."

...

"So what is this Santa- Saten- Santi-" Chantalle frowned her mouth puckering deliciously. Alistair fixed his eyes on it and had to refrain himself from kissing it for he could tell that she was serious and knew very well that his wife had a very bad temper if the occasion arose.

"Satinalia," he said quickly, his eyes warm as they gazed into hers.

"I don't know why I have such a hard time remembering the word," she sighed.

He pulled her into his arms and she nestled into his chest. They were resting in bed after a torrid session of love-making that had left them spent and relaxed. Alistair felt that his heart would burst from the love he felt for her. He never thought that he could love somebody as much as he loved her and his love seemed to grow more as the days passed.

"It's because you didn't grow up hearing the word, love," he murmured. "But to answer your question, it's a feast day, where people celebrate and exchange gifts between their family members and friends. And they play pranks on them too," he grinned, remembering all the pranks he had played.

"Pranks? Like a...bad joke?" She looked up at him.

"Yes, that's exactly what a prank is," he laughed softly.

"What else do people do? I want to know, please," she asked, smiling at him.

He tightened his grip on her, and bent to kiss her forehead before replying.

"Well, they drink a lot. There are celebrations, and balls. A lot of dancing, even on the streets. We can go into the city of Amaranthine that day, if you want."

"I do want to, but only because I know you would love to go," Chantalle laughed softly. He captured her laugh in a passionate kiss and she hummed into his mouth. This sent his blood rushing to his head, and he tightened his grip on her for a few minutes, his hands caressing her hair and back tenderly.

She broke away, and he could see another question coming. He smiled.

"And these gifts, can we go shopping for things, my love?"

"Yes, darling. Anything you want," he murmured, lost in the twin sapphires of her eyes. "I do want to get small gifts for each of my men. I already have your gift. I got it in Orlais," he added, his eyes twinkling merrily.

She smiled again, and nestled back on his chest, the beating of his heart lulling her into sleep.

Alistair stayed awake for a while, still massaging her head gently, lost in thought.

It was a real shame the Landsmeet was only two days after Satinalia. Unfortunate, really.

Somehow that put a real damper on the feast day ahead.

...

Leliana filled her in with details, so that by the time they went shopping for gifts, Chantalle looked like a child in a candy shop as she looked around for gifts with her. They both giggled as Anders and Alistair walked behind them, also looking around for suitable gifts themselves, while Duran made it a point to lean over and pinch the bottoms of each attractive servant that passed their way, earning a jump, a blush and a giggle from them every time.

"Duran," Alistair warned, "you are going to get yourself in trouble one of these days."

"Yes," Anders quipped. "Think about what they'll do to you if they discover you are a grey warden."

"I like the sound of that," Duran grinned wolfishly and suddenly turned to follow a servant girl that batted her eyelashes at him and had swayed her hips invitingly as she passed him.

"Well, been nice knowing you both. I have to...ah...buy some gifts," he called out cheerfully before disappearing into the crowds of people in the square.

Both Leliana and Chantalle disappeared into one of the stores, smiling and Alistair turned to Anders groaning.

"Do you realize what this means?" He turned to Anders, sighing.

"They will shop for something at the store?" Anders retorted, puzzled.

"No, no, no. Look at what the store _sells_, man!" Alistair groaned again.

It was a shoe store.

...

Alistair woke up on Satinalia before Chantalle did. It was still dark but he knew it would be morning soon enough. He looked at his wife as she breathed in and out deeply, her breasts rising and falling under the sheets. She had fallen asleep on his right arm and it felt cramped. He tried to move and she stirred moving further away on to the right and he was able to ease his arm from underneath as she did so.

Without making a noise, he got up, barefoot on the stone floor and made his way silently to the chest of drawers in the corner of the room. He opened the last drawer inch by inch, slowly and silently, until he managed to get his hand inside. He rummaged through the clothes until he found what he wanted. Then he silently closed the drawer.

"Alistair?" Her voice called sleepily from the bed. He froze in his tracks, then cursed to himself as he heard her sitting up and lighting the candle on the table beside the bed. He had never been good at sneaking around.

"What are you doing there, crouching on the floor?" She demanded.

He stood up and turned around, hiding the package behind him as he smiled nervously at her.

"Uh...nothing?" He said hopefully.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned, covering her mouth.

"You are a bad liar, Alistair. What are you hiding behind your back?" She smiled prettily at him and his eyes caught the dimple appearing.

That was enough.

He crossed the room and sat on the bed, placing a parcel before her. Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled up at him again, then she ripped the brown paper open excitedly and he laughed out loud at her reaction.

There was a box there.

She looked up suspiciously at him.

"Nothing is going to jump at me if I open the box?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What? No!" He protested, and chuckled.

"All right. I trust you."

She opened the box very slowly and gasped when she saw its contents, which glittered at her as they caught the light in the room.

"Alistair!" She whispered, not daring to believe what she was looking at.

It was a necklace, but a very fine one. All silverite, with lots of tiny sapphires encased all around it. They shimmered and glittered beautifully at her. Simple but elegant, it truly was a thing of beauty.

She felt the tears brim over and trickle down her cheeks.

"Oh, don't cry! I didn't mean to upset you!" He said, worried at her reaction, placing a hand on her cheek and wiping some of her tears away gently.

"No, my love. I am not upset! I've never seen anything so beautiful," she said, as she lifted her face up to his.

"I have," he murmured, "and it's right in front of me."

They kissed each other tenderly and he held her close afterwards, murmuring that he loved her as he stroked her silky blonde hair.

"Oh, I must give you my gift!" She said excitedly breaking away from him. She ran to her pack and searched for a package which she soon deposited on his lap. Her eyes twinkled like twin sapphires, and he smiled.

He opened it slowly and carefully.

"Chantalle!" He exclaimed.

It was a miniature golem figurine. It looked like the one Arl Eamon had gotten him a long time ago when he was a child. He had told her about it some time ago while they had been reminiscing about their past.

"I can't believe you got one so like the one I used to have!" His eyes were shining and he was flushed. He gave her a boyish grin and turned the figurine over in amazement and wonder.

"Thank you so much, my love! This means a lot to me," he said, and kissed her tenderly.

"Help me put the necklace on," she said, and he fumbled with the clasp on the back of her neck, kissing her there when he was done. His kisses soon reached her ear, and he breathed another "I love you" into it as he caressed her shoulders lightly.

She trembled and pressed her back onto his chest and his hands started to fondle her breasts.

"I'm the luckiest and happiest man in Thedas," he murmured.

...

The elated feeling continued for Alistair all day, as he pushed aside all dark thoughts of the looming Landsmeet up ahead away from his mind.

They laughed and played pranks on each other at the keep, finally setting off to the city in the afternoon after sharing a midday meal with all the wardens.

Fiona had given Alistair another figurine of a desire demon and he felt so happy he laughed at Anders teasing him about his 'doll collection'.

When they arrived at the city, it was mayhem. People were running around wearing masks, drinking and dancing in the streets. The inns and taverns were quite full. Zevran and Leonie disappeared into one of them, while Alistair, Chantalle, Anders, Leliana and Duran continued walking. Fiona had stayed behind at the keep, waving them off and telling them to have fun.

The people were so happy, it was contagious. They laughed into their faces, and asked to dance, their masks giving them a surreal look. There was a tinge of alcohol in the air which was beginning to make Chantalle slightly dizzy.

Eventually, they arrived at the city square where bards were performing. The music filled the late afternoon with their songs and soon Alistair, Anders and Duran each had a tankard in his hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink some of this my love?" Alistair asked Chantalle again, but she merely shook her head and wrinkled her nose in disgust, which made Alistair laugh under his breath.

They started to clap and dance themselves, but as soon as Alistair let go of Chantalle to catch his breath and take another swig from the tankard, she found herself looking down into a pair of large brown eyes that belonged to a little elven boy, who couldn't have been more than eight.

He was wearing clothes that were worn and tattered in some places, and started when he saw her looking at him. Turning around, he broke into a run, weaving in and out of the people there. Chantalle broke into a run, as she followed him. Alistair muttered a curse under his breath, handed his tankard to Anders, and followed her.

The boy ran right past a set of gates and into another area of the city that obviously was separated from the rest of the place, for there were walls all around it, but Chantalle didn't see this at first.

Her eyes took in the run-down houses, the poorly dressed elves and the sickly pallor on most of them as they looked at her curiously. One young girl talked to her.

"You'd best go to your master, he's come to look for you," and she motioned for her to look behind her.

Chantalle turned briefly and saw Alistair who was jogging up to her. She turned back to the elven girl to protest, but she was already talking to Chantalle.

"He'll have you flogged for sure," she was saying.

"What is your name?" Chantalle asked gently.

"It's Neira," the Elven girl inclined her head. "You aren't from around here I see..." her voice trailed off as she eyed Chantalle's tattoo. Another elf was screaming at her from the door of a small shack.

"Neira! Come back here. That shem will take you away, he will. He's probably looking for another one to please him!"

Chantalle saw Alistair flinch visibly at the woman's words, his breathing hitching slightly.

"What is this place, Neira?" Chantalle asked, but she already knew the answer.

"I can't believe you don't know," Neira replied, her eyes darting from the shem back to Chantalle before answering. "It's the place where we are kept away from the shems, so that they can continue to live their lives while we live in squalor and poverty. This is the place where the human men like **you**," she spat at Alistair who flinched again, "can come and take whatever girl they desire."

Chantalle's eyes were wide with shock.

"This is the alienage of the city of Amaranthine."

...

**A/N: Keep this last bit in mind...lol **

**Next chapter: Landsmeet at last! Yayness! :D **


	34. The Landsmeet  Part 1

**First off, I want to start by thanking Jinx1983 for being such a good friend and helping me immensely with this fic by looking for the songs that you see at the beginning of each chapter! For those of you who don't know, she hosts a forum on this site, the link is on my profile and I invite all of you to take a look! It's fun and rated M for Mature, so you have been warned! :D **

**I also want to thank all those of you who have reviewed my fic and continue to lend me their support: Megglesnake, Jinx1983, Warrose, PheonRen, LadyCallia, aurodorina and Liso66! You all rock and your feedback is greatly appreciated! :D **

**The chapter was so long that I had to cut it into two parts. **

**Here is the first part! Enjoy! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 34 - The Landsmeet - Part 1

_I won't let you turn around,_

_I'll tell you now, I'm much too proud_

_To walk away from something when it's dead_

_Do do do your dirty worst_

_Come out to play when you are hurt_

_There's certain things that should be_

_Left unsaid_

_La Roux - Bulletproof_

.

.

They arrived at the port of the city of Denerim a day before the Landsmeet, and made their way to an inn near the docks that was called 'The Red Horse', and was full of sailors. They secured several rooms for all of them and then met in the common room of the inn, which had a great deal of tables and stools.

Alistair was wearing a cloak, and kept his hood up at Zevran's insistence. They spoke quietly and Alistair asked them to wait while he and Anders took a stroll around the city. He also told Zevran and Leliana to follow some distance behind them. Nobody at the table knew what he was up to, and Chantalle asked him to be careful. He assured her that nothing would happen to him and gave her a kiss before he left.

Alistair headed straight for the Market square, stopping at an estate that was very close to it. He spoke to one of the guards at the door.

"Is Arl Eamon available?"

The guard eyed him warily.

"And who should I say is calling to see him?"

"Tell him that it is an old friend from Redcliffe. I'm sure that will be enough," Alistair smiled at the guard.

The guard looked at Alistair long and hard. Alistair stood his ground and did not fidget. There was something familiar about him, but the guard did not know what. Shrugging, he made up his mind.

"Very well. Wait outside. I will go see if the arl will meet you," he said and gestured to his companion to take his place. "Keep an eye on them," he said as he disappeared into the estate.

A few minutes went by and the guard returned.

"The arl says you should come with me," the guard said, and he opened the great doors again, taking them directly to Eamon's study on the left of the main hall, right next to the library.

"Please wait here, the arl will see you shortly."

"Thank you," Alistair said.

They did not have a long time to wait. Eamon walked into his study, and stopped, looking at the two figures before him. One of them was clearly a mage, he wore robes and carried a staff. The other one had a dark cloak on him, and the hood completely covered his head so that his features were in shadow.

"Welcome," he said, still eyeing the cloaked tall figure before him. He had an air of familiarity about him that he could not place. "How can I help you?"

"Well, Eamon," Alistair chuckled. "That depends a lot on how you will react after you've finished listening to me."

Eamon recognized his voice before Alistair reached up to pull the hood down, but was still mildly shocked when his eyes confirmed that it was who he thought it was.

His hair was longer, and he looked so much like Cailan that he drew in his breath in surprise.

"Alistair!" Eamon replied, stretching out his arms as he moved towards Alistair.

But Alistair would have none of that. He raised a hand to Eamon, the amusement in his eyes rapidly changing into an angry glare.

Eamon stopped short, confusion written on his face.

"I've come because of the Landsmeet, to convince the nobles that I am not a traitor to the crown, Eamon," he said quietly. "But I have other matters to settle with you as well."

Anders chuckled next to Alistair and Eamon found himself staring at the mage angrily. Anders looked nonchalant and then smirked at him suddenly.

"And what is what you wish to settle with me, Alistair?" Eamon demanded, a bit miffed by his attitude.

Alistair's eyes filled with mirth and one of his eyebrows shot up. He walked slowly and stood right in front of him.

"Tell me Eamon," he said, pausing after each word, taking his time to speak very slowly and very clearly. "what do you know about an Orlesian Elven warden mage, by the name of Fiona, who followed my father King Maric into the Deep Roads on a mission with the grey wardens twenty-five years ago?"

...

Alistair was amused to see a pink flush rapidly invading Eamon's cheeks. Nevertheless, the arl stood his ground and kept his self-control.

"Excuse me? I don't know what you are talking about, my boy," he shot back, but there was fear in his eyes, and Alistair caught that immediately.

He leaned forward, his face a mere few inches from the arl's and was pleased to notice him flinch.

"Do _**not**_ lie to me," he said between clenched teeth, "or I swear I will cut you down, Landsmeet or no."

Eamon wet his lips nervously.

"I see," he responded. Alistair straightened himself up and waited.

"I will save us some time, then. Fiona is your mother. Your real mother," Eamon said, "but I assume that you know that already, my boy?"

Alistair flushed with anger, his eyes now two burning coals in his head, as he glared at Eamon, his breathing irregular as he fought to get a grip on himself. Eamon took a step back and blinked.

"You power-hungry, manipulative hypocrite," Alistair began, feeling the anger course through his veins and unable to control it any longer. "How _dare_ you lie to me? How _dare_ you let me believe that my mother was someone else who died giving birth to me? Do you have any idea at all the guilt I felt because of that? Do you even _know_ that I believed that I had a half-sister and actually went to look for her here in the city two years ago because I wanted a family? And she turned out to be a gold-digging harridan who would not have anything to do with me because I was not rich and had not taken the throne? Do you have _any_ idea what I felt then?"

"Maric told me-" Eamon began, but Alistair cut him off, his voice now booming.

"Do not blame others for what you did, Eamon! Especially when they are not here to defend themselves. You could have done something about it all, because you knew the pain and bitterness all this was causing me! You were my foster father, for the Maker's sake! You did not care, did you? The only thing you've ever cared about is yourself and how your actions would best be _convenient_ for you and your precious wife."

Alistair took a deep breath and Eamon started to relax, thinking it was over.

It wasn't.

"You sent me away to the Chantry, making my life even worse by that action. And while I was living under your roof, you forced me to sleep in the stables and whenever we visited Denerim, when we lived in this very estate, I slept with the hounds. Do not, _ever again_, call me 'your boy'! You have never done anything to make me feel even remotely like 'your boy'. Do I make myself clear?" He thundered.

"Very clear," Eamon answered back, his eyes full of fear and shame. This was an Alistair that he had never expected to see.

"I will see you at the Landsmeet tomorrow," Alistair said, in a much calmer tone, moving to put his hood back over his head and leave the room. Eamon stopped him.

"But we have to discuss how to -"

"I am not a child, nor your puppet any longer, Eamon. I know what I have to do and say at the Landsmeet tomorrow," he replied coldly, fixing an equally cold stare on him. "There is nothing left for you to tell me nor have I anything else to say for now. Goodbye."

And with these words, Alistair marched out of the room, Anders following him, winking at Eamon and smirking before he also left the room.

"There is still someone else I'd like to see, Anders," he said, stopping in front of the estate and waving to Zevran and Leliana so that they could get closer to listen in.

They followed him to another estate that was very close to the Arl of Denerim's and Alistair walked right up to one of the guards.

"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "I would like to speak to Teryn Fergus Cousland, please."

"And who might you be, my Lord?" The guard asked.

"Tell the Teryn that the Commander of the Grey Wardens is here to see him," Alistair said, smiling at the guard.

The guard immediately opened the doors for him.

Smiling, he stepped inside while he waited for Fergus to appear.

...

Alistair spent the rest of the day talking to Leonie first, then to Fiona. He told them everything and confided some of his plans to them. They both knew what they had to do.

Then he spoke to Leliana and Zevran, trusting them with some other information and requesting them to do something in his behalf. They nodded and agreed to help him out immediately.

When he had arranged everything and was satisfied, he went up to his room. Chantalle was sitting at the desk in the room, and turned to smile at him.

He crossed the room and took a parchment from his pack, then sat in a chair in front of her. He placed the parchment on the desk and took her hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes.

"My love," he murmured softly as she looked back into his eyes, knowing that he was about to reveal something important to her.

"Yes, my husband?" She asked and waited.

He kissed her then and took the parchment that was on the desk.

"I have something here that is of utmost importance and will play an important part at the Landsmeet tomorrow. But first I want to talk to you about that. And about me...and the throne," he added.

He took a deep breath.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. "No, hear me out, and really and truly listen to my question. Do you trust me?"

She looked into his eyes, and saw the determination in them. She also saw the love he had for her. She nodded instantly, even before she answered him.

"Yes, my love. I trust you completely and without reservations," she said, looking into his eyes.

He smiled at her tenderly, lovingly and his heart felt her loyalty, her unreserved faith and trust in him and it touched him deeply. So deeply, in fact, that he could not speak for a few moments.

"Then will you stand beside me? Even if I become king in the future?" He asked quietly.

Her eyes widened slightly, but she did not pull away nor make a sound. Instead, she raised her hand and caressed his cheek lovingly.

"I know you will do the right thing, my love," she said. "I know you will be wonderful, as king or as warden commander. I will stand beside you, whatever you choose to do."

"By the Maker!" He sobbed out, his voice hoarse, "What have I done to deserve someone like you?"

And his lips crushed on hers in a passionate and loving kiss.

...

The nobles waited for the queen to speak. She had been sitting on the throne and rose. All those present knelt, then she gave the command for them to rise.

She turned to her scribe as he sat at the desk on her right, and nodded.

"The Landsmeet is about to begin. Queen Anora Mac Tir, Queen of Ferelden!" He shouted.

"Maker bless the queen," came a resounding shout from the nobles gathered in the room.

She waited for them to calm down and began.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden. There are some issues that I wish to discuss with you on this day. The first of them dealing with a terrible thing that has come to pass. I know that most of you, if not all, were present at the Landsmeet that took place here in this very room two years ago when my father was executed before me. Now, at that time, I was in shock, and there was a Blight upon us. All I did was to ask Alistair Theirin, bastard son of Maric Theirin, to relinquish his rights to the throne for himself and his heirs, which he did. He also swore fealty to me."

Some of the nobles fidgeted wondering where all this was leading. Anora's gaze turned to each of them, and they stopped, ashamed at being singled out by her stare.

"Some of you may be wondering where all this is leading," she paused as the doors of the chamber at the far end of the hall opened to let in a small group of people. She frowned momentarily.

_How dare they show up late at the Landsmeet._

She turned to her left and motioned to her other advisor to approach her.

"Find out who has just arrived and come tell me immediately," she whispered in his ear. The advisor nodded and walked down the steps, disappearing from view.

"I will tell you all where it is leading, but first I'd like to call to your attention something that has reached my ears. News that is most disturbing, and I have chosen to remedy. It seems that Empress Celene of Orlais is playing a game with us. She has declared all elves free, and no longer second-class citizens, allowing them to bear titles, acquire riches and more importantly, bear arms and join her army." There were shocked murmurs at these words, which filled the whole room.

Anora waited patiently for the murmurs to cease and for absolute silence before she continued.

"The fact that by doing this, she will be increasing her army should be of great concern to us. As you all know, the Blight left us with a great death toll and we need more people for our army, in case the need arises. Therefore, I have decided to do the same. I have already signed a writ, that has been approved by the Chantry, and the Grand Cleric," she paused to nod to the woman, who nodded in her direction. "This document fully states that the elves in Ferelden are no longer to be considered second-class citizens and will be allowed to carry titles, acquire lands and riches, join the army and bear weapons."

"What?" One of the nobles yelled and there were shouts that followed.

The queen turned an icy glare towards Bann Loren who had first shouted out, and he was taken aback.

"Are you questioning the Queen's actions, Bann Loren?" She demanded.

The room grew so quiet that she could hear herself breathing heavily.

Bann Loren bowed his head.

"No my Queen," he murmured.

"Then I suggest you let me finish," Anora replied coldly.

He remained silent and she took a deep breath and continued talking.

"The reason I did all this, without taking the matter to this Landsmeet is because we are indeed facing a threat so great, we can no longer pretend it does not exist. Alistair Theirin, who is the Warden Commander of Ferelden is in Orlais, conspiring at this very moment with Empress Celene to seize the throne. She has named him 'Defender of Orlais". He is gathering an army at this moment and will not stop until he has killed your queen and the Orlesians have occupied Ferelden once again."

A man started to laugh mirthfully at these words. His laughter filled the room, making it impossible for her to determine exactly where it was coming from. She seethed with anger, not only at his insolence, but because the rest of the nobles were actually smiling, and some were actually looking like they would burst out laughing themselves.

"Who dares laugh at this? I assure you that I speak the truth!" She managed to say, before she noticed a man who was dressed in a black cloak and hood walking straight up to the dais. He was still laughing, but the hood hid his features from her, and she could not make out who it was.

"Who are you, Ser? How dare you laugh at your Queen?"

The man walked up the steps, and her mouth parted in amazement.

_Just who did he think he was, standing there beside her?_

Then her look changed to pure horror as the man slowly pulled the hood off his head and everyone in the room gasped. For a moment he looked so much like Cailan, that they thought it was his ghost, returned from the grave. Then they saw the differences: The hair had reddish brown glints in it here and there mixed with the blondness, the eyes were not blue but a warm amber that twinkled at Anora who stood there too stunned to speak.

"Why Anora," he chuckled. "I am the very person you say is in Orlais, planning with Empress Celene to invade Ferelden." He spoke loudly and could be heard clearly to the end of the throne room.

"But for those of you who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself," he said, pausing for a moment.

"I am Alistair Theirin, Warden Commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, current Arl of Amaranthine and the only living son of King Maric Theirin and as you can clearly see, I am most certainly _**not**_ in Orlais." Everyone in the room twittered at these words. They were all smiling now.

Alistair turned to the rest of the nobles gathered who were listening attentively to every word he spoke.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden, I am here to defend myself, and to present my case to the Landsmeet."

Fergus Cousland started to clap his hands as soon as Alistair finished talking, and Bann Sighard followed. Bann Alfstanna did so also, as well as the rest of the nobles and soon the whole throne room was applauding, as they cheered for Alistair.

When the applauses died down, Alistair found that Fergus was standing beside him. The Teryn of Highever was second-in-line to the throne and nobody in the room would dare oppose him.

"Anora, this is a Landsmeet. The very same that agreed you would rule Ferelden two years ago. I suggest you let Alistair speak."

...


	35. The Landsmeet Part 2

**Sorry if this chapter was a little late in coming out. I'm in the middle of some heavy house cleaning right now, lol.**

**I want to thank all those who have reviewed: Megglesnake, Jinx1983, Warrose, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Liso66 and auradorina. You have made my day, thanks! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 35 - The Landsmeet - Part 2

The entire room full of nobles applauded noisily at Fergus Cousland's suggestion. Anora felt herself flushing with anger.

"Teyrn, Cousland," she began, but Alistair cut her off, without preamble.

"Lords and ladies of the Landsmeet. Allow me to illustrate what I was doing in Orlais. For this, I will need to produce evidence, evidence that I am happy to announce is in this room today. I would like to introduce the Warden Commander of Orlais, Leonie Caron."

A woman dressed in warden armor with a beautiful silver griffon decorating the breastplate climbed the steps and smiled at Alistair, ignoring Anora completely. Anora bristled and was about to speak, but Leonie had already pulled a parchment out of her pocket, and started to speak to the nobles.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden," Leonie began, stretching and stressing the 'e' in 'ladies' and dimpling graciously at all. "The people of Orlais had been suffering attacks from darkspawn like no other. The Blight had been ended, true, but the threat we were facing made it impossible to continue. I wrote to Warden Commander Theirin in hopes of finding answers on why we were being attacked by darkspawn. Since he had successfully ended the Blight, I thought he might have answers. Entire cities and villages were being wiped out. Larger cities full to the brim with refugees."

"Warden Commander Theirin reacted to my missives the same way I tried to react during the Blight. I went to the border hoping to join my forces with the grey wardens in Ferelden, but I was stopped by the men of General Loghain Mac Tir, who informed me that the grey wardens had betrayed the king in the battle of Ostagar, abandoning him on the battlefield to be massacred by the darkspawn. They asked us to leave and told us that everything was under control and they didn't need the help of any Orlesians. So we had to turn back because we did not want to start a war. Warden Commander Alistair Theirin did no such thing. He came to Orlais immediately to assist us against this darkspawn threat. To help the people. Because a grey warden helps no matter the nation or race. It is our duty to protect mankind."

There were murmurs among the nobles in the room.

"How bad was this darkspawn threat?" Teryn Cousland asked her.

"If Warden Commander Theirin hadn't come to aid us, we would have probably all succumbed to the darkspawn. The darkspawn had already destroyed several villages and two major cities and caused destruction on most others. Montsimmard could not hold any more refugees, nor could the capital, Val Royeaux." She said candidly.

"When I met Warden Commander Theirin, I was busy travelling to these villages making sure that the survivors were not tainted. If they were left to live they would have spread the Taint all over Orlais, corrupting everyone and everything."

The murmurs rose in volume. There was also fear amongst them all and it was palpable to everyone in the room.

"There are many other wardens who could have aided you," a noble called out from the back, "why did you not ask them for help?"

Leonie smiled.

"We did. We sent out missives even to the First Warden in Weisshaupt. But the wardens in Weisshaupt were under attack. There was a darkspawn horde so huge they were battling there, that they had no wardens to spare and send to us."

The nobles in the room began to fidget as they realized suddenly that the threat had been worse. It hadn't been present only in Orlais, but also at Weisshaupt all the way in the Anderfels. That sounded like a threat in a large scale, and if it hadn't been stopped it would have spread over Ferelden.

"I have here with me a parchment. It is a copy of some of the statistics of the damage caused to Orlais as well as the names of the towns and villages that were burned to the ground. I am presenting it to the Landsmeet as reference and evidence to support Warden Commander Theirin's innocence."

She handed the parchment to Teryn Cousland and went back down the steps to stand at the front, smiling up at Alistair who smiled back gratefully.

"Now, as Queen Anora has so graciously mentioned the title I was given as 'Defender of Orlais', I also have someone here to speak to you all about that. May I introduce to you all, Lord Pierre Montgue, advisor to Empress Celene."

A small, balding man with a hooked nose climbed the steps to Alistair. He addressed the nobles very politely and proceeded to read the Imperial Decree that had been written out in Ferelden and had the Imperial Seal on it as well as Empress Celene's signature.

_"Let it be known that from this day onward, Warden Commander Alistair Theirin is hereby known as 'Defender of Orlais' for his services in defeating the darkspawn. In doing so, he has risked his life and the lives of his companions but has successfully eliminated the threat._ _He has done a great service to this country and as such it is the wish of Her Imperial Highness Empress Celene to strengthen the ties between Orlais and Ferelden, assuring the people that there will never be a war between these nations as long as she rules Orlais."_

Upon hearing these words, the entire landsmeet burst into applause and cheering. Anora's very reason for arresting and having Alistair executed was definitely gone.

Alistair was not done, however.

He waited for the applause to die down and then turned to Anora, a lopsided grin on his face.

"I am the queen!" Anora shouted angrily at him. "How dare you?"

"No, Anora," he replied, feeling slightly elated at what he was about to reveal next. "How could _you_?"

"How could I what? Explain yourself!"

"How could you send the Crows after me, to have me murdered and set it up as an accident?"

Anora paled, but she quickly regained herself.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you are talking about," she replied haughtily.

She then glanced around to the nobles in the room hoping to get some support from them. They were all staring at her. Some looked shocked, others surprised. But not one of them looked like they would be supporting her anytime soon. Not even Bann Cerolic this time.

From the crowd of nobles, a man suddenly made his way to the front, and the nobles parted for him to come through. The queen gave a gasp and the color drained from her face again when she recognized the man. Even worse, the man was dragging another man with him, who cowered and knelt immediately before Alistair, Anora and Fergus.

"Warden Commander Theirin," said the man in a rich Antivan accent. "I bring before the Landsmeet, this man, Edgar, who is working for Queen Anora. He will give his testimony today on how she spied on you in Orlais."

"And who might you be?" Fergus asked, knowing full well who he was.

"My name is Zevran Arainai, and I am a former Crow. I traveled with the Warden Commander and the Hero of Ferelden to end the Blight two years ago. Furthermore, I have proof that Queen Anora hired me to kill Warden Commander Alistair Theirin in Orlais."

There was a small scream that came from Anora's lips and a thud. Before Alistair had had a chance to react, Anora lay on the floor unconscious.

She had fainted.

...

Alistair made a gesture and Anders appeared on the dais as the nobles stood frozen on the spot watching the entire scene before them. He quickly applied healing magic to the queen, and she sat up dizzily after a few minutes. He then helped her to stand and left the dais.

Alistair then asked Zevran to tell the nobles in the room what had transpired between Anora and him and Zevran complied.

In a matter of minutes, the entire room was buzzing like a horde of angry bees.

Eamon Guerrin made his way up to the dais. Everyone started to calm down when they saw him standing there.

Alistair hid the surprise from his face. He knew what was going to happen next, but thought that Fergus would be the one to do it and not Eamon. Not after the conversation he had had with him.

"Lords and ladies of the Landsmeet. Clearly Anora Mac Tir is unfit to rule. She has very nearly started a war against Orlais, because she thought that Alistair Theirin was invading with an Orlesian army which as we can all see, is not true. Keeping that in mind, I would like to present a solution to this. I would like to put Alistair Theirin forward as candidate for the throne. He is of royal blood and it is his birthright. Also you have seen what kind of a man he is. He is more suitable to rule with a fair hand. He cares for the people in Ferelden." Eamon's voice rang clear and true.

"We shall vote on the matter," Teryn Cousland said and Alistair smiled at him.

"I would like to say something if I may?" Alistair said quietly but clearly.

Everyone in the room heard a snort and sniff coming from the back. Then, a woman dressed in mage robes with a staff strapped on her back, made her way to the stairs, climbing them. She had a glare in her eyes that dared anyone to speak.

A second woman then made her way up to the dais as well. She was young and beautiful, and had long blonde hair up in a bun. Both women were Elven.

"I don't know if any of you will accept me as king when I say what I have to say, ladies and gentlemen," Alistair continued speaking and Eamon flushed.

"This beautiful woman beside me, on my right, is Countess Chantalle of Val Royeaux. She is a Dalish elf. She was given the title of countess by Empress Celene for her services in defeating the darkspawn at my side. She is a fellow Grey Warden. She is also the current Arlessa of Amaranthine because she is my wife."

"We cannot have an elf as queen!" Protested a bann that was red-faced at this outrage. Only two others agreed with him. The rest were in silence.

"Queen Anora had already passed a writ declaring the elves to have the same right as humans. Lady Chantalle is not only the current Arlessa of Amaranthine, but also a Countess. She is a noble and fit to become queen," replied Teryn Cousland as he eyed the man calmly. There were several nobles who nodded at what Fergus was saying.

But nobody was prepared for Alistair's next words.

"I have something else to say," he said quietly, but trembling slightly. "The woman standing on my left is also an elf and a mage. She was King Maric's lover twenty-five years ago. She is my mother."

Everyone was shocked into silence. There were some gasps and screams from some of the ladies.

"I don't understand how some of you here can call yourselves nobles, when you are not noble at all. Elves are people who deserve your respect. They should not be treated as animals, the way they are treated and have been treated all their lives. If you put me on that throne, I shall see that all elves are treated the same way as humans. To me, humans and elves alike are _**all**_ citizens of Ferelden. Everyone, no matter the race, deserves a chance of a better and happier life."

Some of the nobles, including the bann who had spoken out started to shift uncomfortably. Fergus turned to Alistair. Alistair nodded at him and he turned back at the nobles.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden. Alistair Theirin is of royal blood but he is also a grey warden. He is the Warden Commander of Ferelden and is sworn to protect us all from the threat of the darkspawn. We should vote on this immediately. All those in favor of Alistair Theirin as future King of Ferelden, please speak up."

"I will support him," cried out Bann Alfstanna immediately.

"I will also. I will do so to honor the memory of King Maric, the savior. It is the right thing for his son to rule Ferelden," said Arl Wulff.

"As will I," shouted Bann Sighard.

A number of other hands went up. In total there were ten nobles who supported Alistair as future king, including Eamon and Fergus, against three who opposed. "Bann Cerolic, Loren and Tergus, it has been duly noted that you have not spoken up in favor of this motion," said Fergus in a quiet tone. The three men shifted and fidgeted nervously.

"My brother could not be here today. I have no doubt that he supports you as well, Alistair," Eamon said and inclined his head in his direction.

"I will support him also," called out the Grand Cleric, much to the surprise of all gathered there. "He and his companions were our only hope during the Blight. I am convinced he will do the work of the Maker always, and be a fair and kind ruler."

The crowd started to cheer and applaud. Anora had stood through all this and was looking pale and withdrawn.

Alistair waited for them to be quiet. He then turned to all the noblemen and women gathered in the room.

"I regret to inform you all that I cannot accept right now," he said quietly. "I suggest you make Fergus regent."

"What? Why?" Eamon shouted.

"I cannot accept to rule the kingdom while I am still Warden Commander of Ferelden. I will need at least a year to get a replacement and train him," he said.

"We will gather again in a year to crown Alistair Theirin as King of Ferelden and Lady Chantalle as his Queen," Fergus announced. "In the meantime, I will gladly become regent to assist you, Your Highness."

The nobles broke into an applause, most of them cheering, and it was settled.

"Anora Mac Tir. You will be stripped from your titles and lands and are hereby exiled from Ferelden to Nevarra. If you return, you will be killed on the spot. Is this clear?" Fergus asked.

"Very clear," Anora replied quietly. She looked at Alistair then and he saw such hatred in her eyes, that he was momentarily stunned. The guards then took her away.

Everyone started to clear the place. Alistair took Chantalle's hand and squeezed it, smiling down at her as she beamed at him. He then turned to Fiona who did not even glance in his direction. He could tell that he was going to have to have a long chat with her after all this was over.

He turned to Fergus and grinned.

"Thank you, Fergus."

"Don't mention it. You've got a year, just like you planned. All I did was help you, and I would do it again gladly, if you asked me to."

...

**A/N: What changed Alistair's mind about becoming king? Why the visit to the Elven Alienage in Amaranthine and Chantalle, of course! ;D **


	36. Explosion

**Thank you Megglesnake, Jinx1983, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Warrose, auradorina for your fantastic reviews! You guys are wonderful! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 36 - Explosion

_Hi, my name is  
You won't remember  
Wait till December  
Cause you thought that I was pure as snow  
Guess you didn't know  
Hold tight, surprise, open your eyes its springtime  
Flowers blossoming, I am one of them, bet you like how I've grown  
Why, should I even remember, back when you blanked me  
To put it frankly  
But now I'm back  
I'm now attractive  
And you're not getting none  
That chick- Pitbull_

.

.

When all was said and done, they stayed at the palace for a couple of days before heading off to Amaranthine. There were plenty of rooms there, and they had lots of cheese. He didn't think twice about it when he saw all the cheese.

They brought back their things from the inn, and settled in, Fiona barely avoiding Alistair till he passed her in one of the palace corridors and they found themselves staring at each other face to face.

"So, you are going to be king after all," she said, after a while of uncomfortable silence.

"I didn't want to before. But after the visit to the alienage in Amaranthine, and Chantalle's pain when she finally saw what an alienage is like, I felt that I had to. I think I'll be able to do some good, actually. And she believes in me," he added, his eyes holding Fiona's which had begun to flash with anger.

"We all believe in you," she snapped. "We wouldn't if you weren't such a good Warden Commander."

"I don't understand how you, of all people, could be angry right now," he retorted, feeling a spark of his own anger slowly start to rise.

"I tried to keep you away from becoming king! That was the whole point in Maric sending you away! And yet here you are!" Fiona's voice was louder now.

"Yes, you gave me to Maric, and threw me away, I haven't forgotten that!" Alistair's voice matched hers, and so did his temper.

"Ugh! I can't believe you are _still_ going on about this! I did _not_ throw you away!" Fiona shot back, the tips of her fingers smoking slightly. "I wanted you to have a better life! Away from court and all the political machinations that it entails, all the hypocrisy! But you've steered yourself right back into it!"

"I'm sorry, but it's been years of feeling unwanted. I can't just pretend I don't feel bitter about it!" Alistair cried out.

Fiona's chest was heaving and she was breathing heavily.

"And do you think that I wanted to give you up, Alistair? It was the worst day of my life! The wardens of Weisshaupt ordered me to, I could not be a warden and a mother! I wanted you more than anything else in my life, but I was a warden and a mage and if things weren't bad enough, I was..._am_ an elf. I know that you will be a good king, but that is not the issue here!" She yelled at him.

Alistair's anger vanished. Yet he did not make a move to take her in his arms to comfort her.

"I'm sorry it went that way..." his voice trailed off. He looked down for a moment. "But I'm not sorry I'm taking the throne. It's about time someone moved Ferelden forward."

Fiona did not reply but was surprised that her anger had abated somewhat.

"Look, I have to go. Chantalle is waiting for me," he added. "We can talk later, when we've both calmed down."

He turned to leave but her voice stopped him.

"We have to let go of this, Alistair. It is not good to live the past like this. I felt like I would die that day, twenty-four years ago. You took my heart with you. I have never felt the same afterwards," she said.

He turned back, sorry that they had fought, his eyes gazing intensely into hers.

"But I never wanted you to become king, because of the burden you will carry. And I didn't want you to become a warden either. I don't want you to live another twenty-seven years and turn into a monster, or die in the Deep Roads. That is not the life I wanted for you. I still don't approve of you becoming king either. Your father kept running from it, and he was already king. It made him very bitter. And it eventually turned him into a lonely man."

Her words softened him then, and he crossed the distance between them and took her in his arms in a loving embrace. He did feel her stiffen at first, but then she hugged him back.

They would probably still snap at each other from time to time, he knew. But he was also sure of one thing as he held her tightly and that was that she was, indeed, his mother. And he _wanted_ to be her son. He wanted to try.

That much he was certain of.

...

Chantalle lay back on the pillows, gasping for breath, as Alistair himself flopped beside her. She smiled at him, still panting and covered in sweat, while his eyes bore into hers and his calloused fingers traced the outline of her face and lips.

"I love you," he murmured, kissing her tenderly.

This human man had made her happier than she ever thought possible. The thought that he would be the ruler of Ferelden had filled her with pride, but had also made her fearful. She had seen the look on some of the banns' faces when he had been accepted as future monarch. She had a sneaking suspicion that they would not leave well enough alone.

"What's wrong? No unhappy thoughts allowed, you know..." Alistair said noticing the worried look in her eyes.

She felt the laughter bubbling up and escaping her lips then, and snuggled closer to him. He took her in his arms, and sighed.

She had known all along that he would end up king. Even when he had denied it passionately.

"Tell me what's wrong, my darling." Alistair's eyes pleaded, his voice warm and vibrant. It was so appealing to her right now that she felt herself tremble in his arms, and he tightened his grip slightly.

She traced patterns on his chest with her fingers, and was rewarded with a hum of approval from him.

"Don't try to avoid the question or make me forget what I even asked," he chided playfully, as he caught her hand fast in his.

"Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking how you said you never wanted to be king," she said softly, looking up into his eyes.

Now it was his turn to frown. But she tickled his nipples playfully with her fingers and his frown turned into a look of pleasure and a sharp intake of breath.

"Maker's breath, woman! You drive me crazy," he said, as he bent down to capture her rosy lips in his.

But it was he who finally broke away from her gently and looked into her dark blue eyes seriously.

"I know I said I didn't. And at the time I probably wouldn't have. But after your reaction to the visit we paid the alienage, well. I kept thinking how you said that it was terrible that nobody out there could make a difference for the elves. That they didn't have anyone to turn to and their hope was all but gone. I felt that I could do something then. That I _had to_ do something. And that's what started it all."

She reveled in the fact that he loved her so much that he wanted to make things right. Not only because they needed to be right. This was just one of the things she loved so much about him. His sense of righteousness, his need to defend others and make it a better world for them.

"I love you so very much, my King," she murmured.

"And I love you, my Queen," his hand travelled to her shoulder and down to her waist, where it lingered for a moment. His other hand rested on her cheek. She felt him caress her lightly and trembled again in his arms, as a sigh escaped her lips before she spoke.

"This year we will be spending in Amaranthine, you will be recruiting and training others, yes?"

"Yes, that's correct," he bent and kissed the crown of her head.

"Let me recruit with you. I want to be wherever you are. I don't want us to be apart," she murmured.

"Why my darling, I have no intention whatsoever of ever letting you go anywhere. Unless it's with me."

They kissed again passionately and this time, their hands moved to explore each other and caress each other's bodies, fueling their passion anew.

Before she had time to even realize it, his mouth had already travelled down to her inner thighs and was working its way slowly to the dark blond curls guarding the entrance to her core. She gasped when he finally licked her and his tongue sought entrance as she laid back on the pillows, spreading her legs wide.

A knock on the door interrupted their late afternoon passion. He groaned, but then licked her essence with a mischievous expression on his face. She giggled.

Anders voice was heard coming from the other side.

"Sorry to interrupt you Commander, but there is someone here to see you," he said.

"No rest for the wicked," Alistair deadpanned, and was up in a flash, putting on his smalls and then a loose pair of leather trousers, while Chantalle covered herself.

"I'm coming Anders," he said, as he put on his white tunic and opened the door.

"Ah, yes...sorry about this, truly," Anders colored slightly.

"It's fine. Dinner should be ready soon, at any rate. You say there is someone here to see me?"

"Um, yes, well, I don't know how she found out you are here, but obviously word travels fast," he grinned.

"Did she say who she was?" Alistair asked, putting on his boots.

"She said she was your sister, but we know that's not true, right?"

Alistair stiffened and then his lips curled into a sardonic smile.

"Well, well, well! Looks like the Maker is on my side after all," he chuckled. "My love, I want you to come with me for this. Could you?"

Anders smiled and left them while Alistair closed the door.

Chantalle was already up, grabbing one of the dresses that Alistair had given her, and went behind the screen to wash and dress herself.

Once she was done, she quickly combed her hair, and tied it behind her in a make-shift pony tail at the back of her head. Then she walked towards her husband.

"Ah, you are so lovely my dear," he murmured as he took her hand, turned it, and placed a kiss on her palm. "Let's go shall we? We mustn't keep the vulture waiting..."

His eyes were twinkling, and she giggled and twinkled back at him.

This was going to be fun indeed.

...

"Goldanna," Alistair called out, as the red-haired wisp of a woman turned to sneer at him. He quickly held on to his self-control and forced his face into a sarcastic smile, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, _sister_," he hissed the word, still smiling, his eyes cold, "to what do we owe this pleasant surprise, I wonder?"

Duran happened to appear at that moment, on his way to the dining room. He froze in his tracks and then moved closer, damning his warden appetite because his stomach growled horribly. And very loudly. Alistair turned, scowling.

"Do you _mind_? I'm trying to have a serious conversation here!" He growled. Chantalle bit her bottom lip as she tried to keep from laughing madly at the whole scene before her.

"A king, now, eh?" Goldanna interrupted them, seething. "You, dear brother are a lying bastard, you are! You promised you would look after me and me children! I knew it! Lying bastard!" She screamed angrily.

Duran rolled his eyes at the melodrama. Chantalle caught it and looked away, praying to the gods for some seriousness to keep her from laughing. Anders walked into the room and she found herself groaning inwardly.

"Ah! A visitor! And a beautiful one!" Anders chirped.

"That does it!" Duran said sighing. "Anders, I'd have thought that Leliana had knocked some sense into you. Obviously she has not! Do you even have eyes? This ugly wench beautiful? Pleeeeeeeease!"

Goldanna's eyes turned into twin saucers as they bulged right out, not daring to believe what she was hearing! How dare they?

"'Eee's the bloody king, ain't he? He owes me, he does!" She sputtered angrily.

"Tut, tut," Anders shook his head lightly. "That kind of behavior will never get you far, my lady."

Alistair had been listening to all this, disbelief on his handsome features, his eyes darting from one to the other. He shook his head, his lips parting slightly over what was taking place.

"Ha! Lady! Tell me, Anders. Just when did you become blind?" Duran shot back, wiggling a finger at him.

Goldanna let out a shriek that would have made an alpha shriek cringe.

"Ow!" Duran said, and glowered at her. "No need to get jumpy!"

Chantalle was now biting the inside of her cheeks. She would not be able to hold on any longer...

"'Eee promised 'ee did! Promised to take care of his nephews and nieces!" She thundered at Duran, her hands on her hips.

"Nephews and nieces? Alistair! I didn't know you hadn't kept your promise! Shame on you!" Duran said in fake indignation.

"Wot's the dirty dwarf doin' here? I just want wot's mine! You promised!"

"And who might you be, my Lady?" Anders said his eyebrows shooting upwards.

"I'm 'is sister, I am! You stupid man in a dress!"

"Dress? Dress? What the-" The look on Anders's face was priceless.

"Ha! She's right about that one, isn't she?" Duran sent a grin in Chantalle's direction and she lost it.

She burst out laughing.

Her laughter spurred Alistair and he started to chuckle.

"Wot?" Goldanna gasped in disbelief as they all joined in and laughed merrily. Alistair actually found himself doubling over.

He was the first to recover, and straightened himself up, trying to give her a stern stare, but his eyes twinkled and betrayed him miserably.

"Goldanna, I will see that your children receive lessons and learn something. And will give them proper clothing as well as check to see if they have been properly fed. But I will never again give you money, you gold-digging harridan," and he burst out laughing again.

She scowled at him with anger. "We don't need your lessons, bastard! We want money, we do. I'm your sister!"

"Well, it turns out that you are terribly wrong there, my dear," Anders got out, but then frowned. "You said I'm wearing a dress. Since you have offended me, I won't explain anything to you!" He crossed his arms over his chest, looking deeply hurt and insulted.

"Wot's all this? 'ave you been drinking?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"No, Goldanna. It's just funny, because you aren't my sister at all. You were lied to, as I was. My mother was not your mother," Alistair managed to squeak out before he resumed laughing.

Goldanna's face flushed an ugly red color.

"She wasn't, eh? Then who would your mother be?"

"That would be me, you whore! And I'm giving you five seconds to leave and not come back here again!" Fiona spat from the right side of the room, having entered it minutes before. She had her staff out, and was pointing it at Goldanna, her jaw clenched in anger.

"Your mother is an elf?" Goldanna looked astonished at this piece of news.

"Two!" Fiona called from her place. Alistair was still in hysterics. Chantalle could not stop giggling either.

"Well! I wish I'd never came, I do!" She said.

"Four!" Fiona thundered.

"Wot happened to three?" Goldanna sneered. "I can count you know!"

A faint lightning bolt shot out from the end of Fiona's staff and shocked Goldanna who literally gave a little jump. She wasn't hurt at all, but not the same could be said of her pride.

Not wishing to test Fiona's threat (or anger) any longer, she took her skirt in her hands, turned heel and ran.

"Aww," Anders sighed.

"Goodbye!" Duran called cheerfully after her.

Alistair held on to Chantalle and they gradually got their breath back. Then he turned a grin to his mother.

"Thanks for that," he said once he had calmed down.

Fiona sniffed as she returned her staff to her back again. She avoided looking into his eyes and her lips twitched.

"Dinner is ready, and I'm starving. And if any of you continue to delay dinner, I'll be extremely angry," she said and turned around to leave.

"Yep!" Duran said as he patted Alistair on his arm grinning. "You're a chip off the ol' block, aren't you, old boy?"

Alistair could not help himself and grinned back at Duran.

...


	37. Recruting

**My deepest thanks to all those of you who constantly review and give your feedback at the end of the chapter. Megglesnake, Jinx1983, LadyCallia, Warrose, PheonRen and Liso66. You are really wonderful. :) **

**This chapter has one or two revealing bits, lol **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 37 - Recruiting

Fiona looked again at her notes, not daring herself to become excited at the results she was seeing before her very eyes. She had the potion before her, and it was bubbling. Her eyes narrowed. She knew exactly what she needed to see if the potion worked, but she didn't have any of it available right now. She frowned.

The only way she could get what she wanted was if she could get some from the vault at the keep and that meant sneaking around. She could probably go to Alistair and ask him straight out, but in the past four months he had been so busy with the new recruits and training Nathaniel that she couldn't take him away from that. Not just yet. She had to be absolutely sure first.

She took a deep breath and left everything on her working desk and set off towards the direction of the vault.

She heard some wardens sparring in one of the courtyards below. She did not stop to see who they were, preferring to make short time of getting to the place she was heading for.

Their stay at the Keep had fallen into a pattern of days full of chores and tasks, which included training and sparring at regular intervals. The times she saw Alistair, he was usually very tired and had dark circles under his eyes which told her exactly how much sleep he was getting as he was also overseeing reconstruction of the alienage in the city and dealing with the problems of the banns in Amaranthine as well.

She vowed to speak to Chantalle soon. She had become a shadow of his, keeping very near to him and sometimes even talking in the throne room of the Keep to some of the nobles, replacing him in this while he found himself busy with something else. She smiled when she thought of what a good wife she was to him and realized that she had been looking pale and wan lately herself.

Reaching the vault at last, she stopped in front of it, searching in her memory for the combination that would open the lock. A voice behind her made her jump and gasp as she turned to face the person that was intruding her privacy.

"You scared me, Anders!" She nearly growled, then relaxed when he flashed a brilliant smile at her.

"What are you doing here in front of the vault, Fiona? Need any help?" Anders grinned down at her.

"No...yes, actually!" She said, changing her mind quickly.

Anders chuckled. He had gotten very close to Fiona and regarded her as a somewhat motherly figure, even though Fiona was less than motherly to anyone. She was a rather tough woman. But underneath all that brusque personality she had a heart of gold.

"Well now. Is that a 'no' or a 'yes'?" Anders teased his smile turning into a grin.

Fiona chuckled, which in itself was rare, but it was something she could not stop herself from doing. Especially in front of Anders or Alistair.

"Well, I need something from the vault. And I really don't want to bother Alistair with it. He has been so busy lately, and is working too hard. I don't want to add to the list of things he has to do by dragging him away from whatever he is doing just to open the vault door for me," she explained, her lips curling up into a genuine smile as she gazed up at the mage.

"Say no more, my Lady," Anders replied taking a bow. "The only ones who know the combination are Nathaniel, Chantalle, Alistair of course, and myself." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Her smile turned into a grin as he stepped in front of the vault beside her and deftly turned the knobs right and left, counting the turns as he did so. They both heard an audible click and he grasped the lever and pulled it towards him.

The heavy metal door creaked open. Inside were several shelves full of papers and a few bags of coins, but the object she was seeking lay on the bottom shelf. She took a vial of darkspawn blood. There were three more vials of it there, but she only needed one.

"Darkspawn blood, huh? Planning to carry out a Joining yourself?" Anders asked curiously.

"No, of course not," Fiona sniffed as she put the vial in one of her pockets. "It's for something I'm working on," she added carefully. She did not want Anders to know exactly what she was up to. In fact the only persons who knew a little bit of what she was doing were Alistair and Chantalle, of course.

"Ah! Keeping secrets, are we?" He said, his brow furrowing briefly.

"I'm sorry Anders, but I can only relay my information to the Commander. It's a project of sorts that I'm working on."

"Yes, I understand," he smiled at her.

They headed out towards the main corridors of the upper floors again and paused for a bit on the landing. From here, a huge staircase swept down towards the lower floors straight ahead. Fiona was not looking to go downstairs however, and turned her gaze to the branching corridors on her right which would eventually lead her back to her rooms. She was anxious to return to her work.

Anders sensed this immediately.

"I'd better go. I heard that Leliana had been looking for me earlier. You know what will happen if she doesn't find me!" His eyes twinkled at her and she smiled again, though more out of relief than anything else.

"Thank you Anders. I don't think I would have done this without your help. You will know all in good time what I needed the blood for," she smiled graciously up to him.

"No worries, my dear lady. If I know you, it will be for a good cause," he replied and started down the staircase, running down the steps with ease.

She smiled fondly after him then turned to the right, walking towards her rooms firmly as his last words echoed through her mind.

_A good cause._

...

Alistair gazed at his wife who was training a new elven recruit on the proper use of twin blades, a smile forming on his lips as he watched her go through the movements step by step and the eager look on the recruit's face as she watched her intently.

His thoughts scurried around like ants at a convention and he lowered his head a bit, a hand going automatically to his forehead as he rubbed it several times, deep in thought.

They had been in the keep for four months now, and Alistair had flung himself wholeheartedly into training Nathaniel as his replacement, which in itself wasn't a hard task at all. Nathaniel had been a noble before being a warden, and to his credit did a far better job than he as Arl of Amaranthine. Besides, the Keep rightfully belonged to him in Alistair's opinion.

A smile crossed his face when he remembered the surprise on Nathaniel's face when he had told him that he would be Warden Commander and the next Arl of Amaranthine. Alistair's smile turned to a grin when the memory of Nathaniel embracing him tightly flooded his mind immediately afterwards. Nathaniel had wept on Alistair's shoulder that day, but Alistair didn't need an explanation for this. He knew that what he wanted the most was to clear the dishonor on his family name that his father had brought upon him and his sister.

His thoughts turned to the rest of his friends. Anders would be coming back with him to the palace. He hadn't told the mage this, but he knew that he would not refuse, as he had already asked Leliana to come back to him to the palace once he returned as he had a position there for her and she had accepted.

As for Zevran, he had returned to Orlais with Leonie. That thought alone made him keep the grin on his face and shake his head lightly.

Who would have thought? Zevran and Leonie. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he realized that they had both met their match in each other.

Chantalle ran up to him, slightly flushed and out of breath. His whole face lit up as he looked at her tenderly, pleased to see some color on her cheeks at last. She had been looking rather pale and wan lately and he had to bite back a request for her to go to Anders to check on her health. He knew she would refuse anyway.

Stubborn woman.

"Are you ready for dinner, my dear?" He asked fondly, handing her a towel so she could wipe the sweat off her face.

Before she could reply, Duran appeared in the sparring room, and called out to Chantalle.

"Hey there, future queen!" He yelled cheerfully. "You promised to spar with me today, remember? Try to teach all these recruits here a thing or two about defense tactics?"

"By the gods!" Chantalle muttered under her breath, but Alistair had caught her curse, and grinned at her. She smiled at him and whispered, "I'd completely forgotten about that, love. Sorry. Could you go on ahead without me? I still have to go take a bath before dinner anyway. Besides, it isn't time for dinner yet, are you so hungry?" She saw the look on his face and giggled. "Do not say a word. I take back my question, my love."

"Well, are we going to do this or not?" Duran called out again, and she sighed.

"I'm coming Duran!" She glanced up at him and he bent his head down and caught her enticing lips in a kiss.

_Maker, she tasted so sweet! _

"I'll go grab a snack and head off to my study, then," Alistair said, breaking away from the kiss as he gazed for a few moments into her sapphire eyes. "I still have to sign some paperwork for the repairs at the alienage. I'll meet you in the mess hall later."

She nodded and then turned to run back to Duran and he watched her go, taking in her full figure. In spite of them being married for a little over five months now, his love for her grew every day as his desire for her.

Sighing deeply, he turned and made his way back to his study, which was a few doors down from the door that led into the throne room, meeting Nathaniel on his way.

"Ah, good that you are here, Nathaniel," he said. "I'd like your opinion on a few things. Also, I have some paperwork to sign and needed your opinion on how to handle a couple of issues.

"Certainly," he said, falling into step with Alistair who was walking briskly.

The two men disappeared into the depths of the Keep and the only sounds heard for a long time were the sounds of Chantalle and Duran sparring and her voice as she taught the younger recruits some moves.

Quite suddenly, Duran's voice cried out.

"By the ancestors!"

Then all was quiet.

...

Fiona looked up from her table, her breath coming in short gasps. She wasn't going through a bad moment, nor was she ill. No. She was breathing in and out in excitement.

Her eyes lit up as she saw the results before her; the darkspawn blood she had taken from the vial moments before and put onto a stone before her that was on the table, had recoiled when she added a few drops of the potion suddenly as if alive, then had blackened and stopped advancing on the stone. It was now dull and dried up.

She hurriedly jotted down some notes in her journal and put a stopper on the vial that contained the potion as well as one on the vial that contained the darkspawn blood.

After all these years, she had finally made her breakthrough. She could not believe it!

She turned around and headed towards Alistair's study, hoping to find him there, a grin plastered all over her face.

...

"No," Alistair was telling Nathaniel. "We'll be travelling to the circle tower next. We want to see if we can find a couple of more recruits there. We only have two mages out of the sixty wardens that are here with us. And that's excluding Anders and Fiona because they won't be around when I leave. We need a few more. I just hope they survive the Joining," he added wistfully.

The door was flung open and Senaya, the youngest Elven recruit in the Keep, stood there trying to catch her breath as she stared at the two men before her, fixing her gaze on Alistair.

Alistair and Nathaniel stared back at her, unable to speak at first. Someone barging in like that was very uncommon and surprising to say the least.

"What is it, um...ah...Senaya, is it?" Alistair said, stumbling through his memory for her name first.

"Yes, Warden Commander," she answered in between gasps.

"Well, what is it?" Alistair stood up, fear briefly touching his heart as he stared at her.

"It's your wife, Ser. I came as quickly as I could, she-"

But Alistair heard no more as he dashed wildly out of the room, Nathaniel and Senaya running after him.

...


	38. The Miracle of Life

**First off, I'd like to thank Megglesnake, Jinx1983, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Warrose, and auradorina for their reviews! Also all the people who have this fic in their list of favorites and are following it closely! You are all awesome! :D **

**There is a very, very detailed smutty scene ahead, so fair warning! Mature content ahead! You have been warned! :P**

**Bioware owns, I just fool around with the characters, lol **

Chapter 38 - The Miracle of Life

_Come to me baby_

_Don't keep me waiting_

_Another night without you here_

_And I'll go crazy_

_There is no other there is no other_

_No other love can take your place_

_or match the beauty of your face_

_I'll keep on singing till the day_

_I carry you away_

_With my love song_

_Dov'e L'Amore - Cher_

.

.

.

Alistair felt his breath hitching as he finally caught sight of his wife, lying on the stone ground of the courtyard, with Duran at her side, who was doing his best to revive her.

He called out to the recruits assembled to get Anders or Fiona desperately, as he took her in his arms gently. The recruits who had not left crowded around them, and he ordered them to step back to give her air to breathe.

She looked so pale lying there that he vowed to have her rest after she came to, even if he had to tie her down himself. She simply had been working too hard as of late, following him everywhere...to the alienage to help out and recruit wardens, into the city on numerous visits, to the Banns' estates as they solved their problems and now they were actually leaving for the circle tower in just a couple of days. His lips pressed together in a thin line, worry creasing his brow.

He heard footsteps behind him and heard Fiona's voice asking what the matter was. Relief flooded over him in waves.

"Fiona, please. She's fainted. Come quick!" He managed to croak out as she walked briskly to them and knelt down beside them.

Her hands went over Chantalle slowly as she applied some healing magic which made her regain consciousness. She opened her eyes and blinked once or twice into Alistair's warm amber eyes. Eyes that regarded her with concern.

"My love," he crooned. "How are you feeling?" He bent to kiss her forehead lovingly and Fiona asked him to take her to their room where she could perform a scan on her to check her thoroughly.

Chantalle moved to stand up, but Alistair would not have it. He picked her up and carried her, much to her embarrassment and her dismay. The wardens were chuckling and smiling at her.

"Alistair! I can walk, I'm not an invalid!" She protested, but he gave her a look, and she relented immediately, sighing as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

And so, when they reached their room, they discovered that Anders had arrived as well, ready to help with the scanning.

"Good," Fiona said as soon as she saw Anders. "We can both perform separate scans and see what ails her."

"Nothing is wrong with me," she protested again. "I've just been working too hard and not sleeping enough." Alistair shushed her gently and placed her on their bed, taking a blanket and covering her with it.

"Have you been feeling ill?" Fiona asked as she moved closer to the bed, her dark brown eyes penetrating into her blue ones.

"Yes," she mumbled miserably as Alistair looked at her, anger flashing briefly in his eyes.

"What? Why didn't you say anything, love?" He scolded her lightly then sighed.

"Well, not very ill. And I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to worry you," she replied, as she pouted.

His eyes automatically flew to her pouting lips.

_Maker's breath! She's ill! Pull yourself together, man!_

He forced himself to stare into her eyes again, which were now twinkling, and blushed.

"What have you been feeling then?" Fiona interrupted impatiently.

"I've been ill nearly every morning. I can't seem to hold breakfast down," she answered earnestly, ignoring Alistair's sharp intake of breath.

Fiona suppressed a smile then, as Alistair turned in time to see the corners of her mouth twitching.

"What? What is it?" He asked her, but Fiona only shook her head, looking maddeningly cryptic and refused to reply.

"Step back, Alistair. I need some space," she informed him and he did as she asked, walking over to the table in the room and sitting on the chair next to it. Anders moved closer, giving him a wink.

A soft, blue glow emanated from Fiona's fingertips as she moved her hands slowly over Chantalle's stomach. She did this several times, and finally turned to Anders, who was looking at the smile on her face and a chuckle escaped his lips.

Fiona was actually grinning when she turned to her son, who was now wringing his hands.

_She is actually smiling! Andraste's flaming sword! What could this mean? _

Alistair stood up, unable to remain seated, but he still remained where he was as he watched Anders now performing the scan on Chantalle.

As soon as Anders finished, he burst out laughing and nodded to Fiona.

Chantalle's eyes sought out Alistair's. She looked as bewildered as he did.

"What is going on?" Alistair demanded. Fiona was laughing too. Now he _knew_ something was up.

"Oh, Alistair! Come here. We both think you should sit on the bed right next to her now."

He quickly did as they asked and took her hand in his.

"Is she going to be all right? What is wrong with her?" Alistair asked, but Anders refused to open his mouth to answer him and instead laughed harder.

Fiona chuckled, her eyes misty with unshed tears.

"Chantalle, you are with child," she said finally.

Alistair expelled all the air from his lungs - he had been holding his breath - feeling light-headed and dizzy at those words. He looked at Chantalle, who was looking at him, pure wonder and surprise in her eyes.

He couldn't find words to voice the whirlwind of feelings that was going through him. He just could not say a word.

"But, how is this possible?" Chantalle squeaked out. "You told me that wardens have difficulty conceiving, yes? That because of the Taint in us..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes widened as she looked deeply into his.

"That's what I was told as well. I don't understand, but I don't care! Chantalle, do you realize what this means? We are going to be parents!" He gave a sob and leaned over to take her into his arms, and she held him tightly as well, her happiness filling her completely and making her heart soar.

"Oh, my love! I am the happiest man in all of Thedas, surely!" He whispered and kissed her neck, jaw line and trailed the kiss right up to her mouth. The kiss was not a very passionate one, but Fiona cleared her throat behind them, nevertheless.

"Fiona! You are going to be a grandmother!" Alistair laughed and scooped her up, while Anders leaned over to give Chantalle a hug.

Fiona smiled as she saw them together, her heart brimming over with happiness. She then remembered why she had been looking for Alistair in the first place.

"Alistair, I must see you in my rooms, as soon as possible. There is something I wish to tell you, regarding my project," she said, as Alistair broke away from Chantalle's grasp and turned to look at her.

"I can only imagine it to be good news, right?" He said playfully, his eyebrow shooting up, giving her a quirky smile.

She laughed again and would not say another word.

"Can you watch her Anders? I'll be right back!" Alistair said, and Anders nodded as he left with Fiona.

Chantalle sighed as she laid back onto the pillows lazily and Anders pulled a chair closer to the bed. Sitting down, he caught her expression.

"What?" He asked her curiously.

"I suddenly feel terribly hungry. I'm sure dinner is already being served in the mess hall," she remarked, a dimple appearing suddenly under her right cheek. Anders shook his head, smiling.

"Yes, fine. I'll play delivery boy," he said, resigned to his fate. Then he wiggled a finger at her as he stood up. "But I'm only doing this because you just fainted! Don't think I'll be doing this again!" He warned.

She laughed and stopped him, her hand on his arm before he left the room.

"Oh, and one more thing, please? I would really love some hot water. I need a bath _desperately_," she said, her voice full of longing.

Anders rolled his eyes, but he twinkled down at her all the same.

"Fine! But that's all I'm doing!" He answered.

"What? No massage?" She teased playfully and he shot a warning glance at her before finally leaving the room, chuckling softly under his breath.

...

Alistair was nearly running as he made his way back to his room after talking to Fiona, stopping only in the kitchen where he pinched the cook's cheek and begged for a tray of food to take up to his room. She beamed at him, her rosy cheeks turning a bright red color as she filled a tray with stew, soft rolls and cheese.

"For two, Commander?" She dimpled at him and he nodded in assent. He turned to leave, balancing the tray in one hand as he used the other to fish a bottle of wine from the rack next to the door. Placing it on the tray, he left, grasping the tray firmly with both hands this time.

His way to the room was slower, because he didn't want to spill the stew. He nearly ran into Anders who was leaving the room.

"Too late, Commander. I've already brought her some food, and she's just finished eating. And it wasn't for two. Your wife is eating for three!" He giggled, said something about meeting up with Leliana, and waved his goodbye as he walked down the corridor, disappearing around the corner.

Alistair walked into the room, shutting the door behind him using his foot, and Chantalle smiled up at him in greeting. He set the tray on the table and walked towards the bed, sitting on it and leaning in for a kiss without uttering a word.

"Mmmm," she hummed into his mouth and his whole body ached for her at that very moment. There was a knock on the door, but Alistair ignored it pointedly.

"My love, it's important. That's my hot bath water," she mumbled in between kisses.

He sighed and broke away tenderly. "All right, but we owe ourselves an evening of celebration. Nathaniel is going to fill in for me tomorrow. I'm staying in with you the whole damn day. I'll open that door for nobody," he said, as he gave her another kiss before standing to open the door.

As soon as the tub was ready, she moved to sit on the bed.

"Allow me," he stopped her, his gaze burning into hers.

Very gently, he started to undress her, taking his time to undo each buckle and lace, placing kisses on her naked body once he was finished. She moved again to stand up, but he shook his head gently. "Just what do you think you are doing?" He chided, then took her in his arms, carrying her to the tub behind the screen. He carefully set her down into the hot water, and she let out a sigh of satisfaction, closing her eyes and letting the nearly hot water envelop her.

"I'll just go and eat the stew before it gets too cold to eat, all right?" He said. Chantalle nodded. "If you need anything just tell me, I'm right here, my love."

She got some soap and started washing herself, while he sat at the table and devoured the stew, finishing the rolls and cheese off in a heartbeat. He went behind the screen to the wash basin where he washed his hands and mouth, then fastened his attention on her. She had his back to him, and was lying in the tub, with her head on the stone edge and her hands softly playing with the water. He felt the desire for her coursing through his veins, and his member sprang to life as he watched her, feeling uncomfortable in his armor.

He quickly undressed and knelt beside the tub, taking the washcloth she had used and proceeded to very gently wash her over again, bending down to kiss her fully on the lips. Very slowly, he used the washcloth over one breast in a circular motion and then the other, pausing for a moment to lower his head and kiss her nipple. She let out a soft moan and he did the same to the other one. Her hand traveled up his arm, her fingers tenderly grazed over his hardened nipples and he moaned as he brought his lips down to hers once again, their tongues immediately entwining in a passionate dance, stroking and tasting each other.

The washcloth slipped from Alistair's hand, into the water, where it floated, completely forgotten. His hands trailed down into the water, and touched her waist, and hers pulled him closer, reaching out for his strawberry blonde hair. He sighed into her lips and without breaking their kiss, moved up and into the tub with her, placing his legs in between hers and kneeling in the water, pulling her closer.

His hands travelled up and down her back and one of them took her shoulder and pushed her back gently. She watched him take each leg and start kissing it slowly and tenderly, his tongue flicking out, licking where his lips had kissed each time, and she felt the excitement running through her like an electrical bolt, travelling through her with such an intensity that she mewled with pleasure. He then put each leg over his shoulders and moved in closer to her, his hands grasping her tightly, his member grazing her lips and nub and she cried out.

"Tell me," he whispered, his voice husky and vibrant. "Tell me what you want."

She was breathing heavily and gasping, and her lips parted as she tried to grind her core onto his erection. His mouth descended on hers, kissing her hungrily.

"Tell me," he repeated, his hand on his erection as he slid it up and down her slit, teasing.

"Ah! Alistair! I want. You!" She managed to say, and he grunted as in one swift movement, he penetrated her completely and drew her close, the water splashing around them over the side of the tub.

They stayed like that, feeling each other for a few moments, the fire inside them binding them together fast. He kissed her again. "My love," he whispered into her ear, nibbling it, his tongue flicking out and tasting her, and she shuddered in his arms, her walls so deliciously tight around his length.

He started to move slowly then, out then back in again, taking up a rhythm. She tried to match his, tried to move the best she could, but discovered that in her current position she could barely move at all. She was a prisoner in his arms, so she trailed her hands over him, raking her nails on his back and shoulders, moaning out his name as he rode her, gasping as he started to pick up the pace.

His hands held her buttocks firmly as his pace quickened and he growled into her ear, his mouth kissing and tasting her everywhere. He could not last, he knew he would not, so he slowed down as he pushed into her again and again, wanting her to reach her release before he did.

But she started to whisper words of encouragement to him and all his self-control broke down then and there.

"Do not. Hold back. Alistair!" Her words came out in gasps and he tightened his grip on her, quickening his pace, as her walls tightened around him again.

He abandoned himself to a wilder pace then, grunting, his release bringing him to the edge, each thrust bringing him closer, and she started to convulse around him, her release finally bringing him completely over, as he started to spurt his seed deeply into her, screaming out her name, kissing her hungrily and passionately, then breaking away and thrusting into her once more, burying his head into her neck.

Their world exploded into color and light as they climaxed, their hearts took flight and soared, and raced as they held tightly into each other, their breathing irregular.

Catching their breaths, he slowly brought one of her legs down back into the water, and she trembled in his arms. He brought the other one down, still inside her, pulling her onto his lap as he knelt in the now lukewarm water.

"I love you so much, Chantalle. You have no idea how much, my love," he whispered into her ear, as he kissed her over and over again.

Slowly, he pulled out, and she gave a disappointed groan. He laughed and his eyes twinkled into hers.

"Ah, no, Alistair. I want more," she protested pouting, and he hungrily claimed her pout in a passionate kiss.

Smiling mischievously, he took her hand in his, and guided it to his member, still fully erected.

"It will be as my lady commands," his voice said hoarsely, and he stood up, picking her up in his arms, then setting her on the now wet floor beside the tub, drying her quickly but gently then drying himself. She took him in her hand and knelt down before him, taking his erection in her mouth then, sucking and using her tongue to pleasure him.

He flung his head back and moaned, gasping. After a few minutes, he begged her to stop and pushed her away gently. "I won't last, my love. Allow me." He smiled, picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the bed where he laid her, lying down beside her.

They made love to each other several times that night, and finally fell asleep in each other's arms in the wee hours of the morning, completely spent.

...

Fiona started as she willed her eyes open. She rubbed them as she sleepily regarded the room and they widened when she realized she had fallen asleep, sometime during the night on the desk, for the sunlight now danced merrily into the room.

She stood up abruptly, chiding herself for her stupidity at oversleeping when there was so much to be done. Glancing at the shadows in the room she realized it was past noon and shook her head as she washed her face and ran a comb over her tousled hair before smoothing her robes and heading off towards the kennels to look for the kennel master.

Stopping only to fix herself a quick bite to eat, she shoveled the meat and vegetables into her mouth as quickly as she could, then blushed slightly when the cook arched her eyebrows at her disapprovingly.

"In a hurry today, Warden Fiona?" She said seriously but her voice was laden with amusement all the same, and she winked when Fiona finally got up from the chair, taking a big swig from her glass of wine before she did.

"Yes. It's rather late. I overslept this morning," she said apologetically. Then offering the cook a smile, she complimented her on the delicious meal and set off once again in the direction of the kennels.

The kennel master had six mabari hounds that had been fighting darkspawn from the get go, so the dogs themselves were already tainted, and now pretty much grey wardens themselves.

Fiona only needed one.

She had, at first, thought about asking Duran for his dog, called 'Dog' by his master. After all, when Duran had left for Orzammar, she had been told that he had left his dog behind, but Dog was so attached to both Duran and Alistair, that she didn't have the heart to do that. If there was the slightest possibility that her experiment should fail, she did not want to break the news of its death to them.

So she found herself seeking out the kennel master instead.

He was very nice to her and tilted his head to one side when she made her request.

"Well," he said, his brow furrowed in thought for a short while. "There _is_ one of the hounds here that is really very sick. It seems that he is the oldest one and he has been fighting the creatures longer than the rest. He's dying, poor fellow. He's over there, in a separate cage. I'll bring him over to your room immediately." The man said sadly.

Fiona gave him a reassuring smile and thanked him graciously.

He grinned back.

She turned and made her way back to her rooms, thinking about taking a hot bath. She briefly remembered when she had explained her breakthrough to Alistair the night before. He had seemed really pleased about it all and congratulated her heartily. But truth be told, it looked like he was hurrying the conversation with her on purpose and she couldn't blame him. She was sure that both he and Chantalle had a lot of 'celebrating' to do. She grinned to herself as she continued walking back to her rooms.

On her way she glanced casually at the door that led to the Warden Commander's rooms, and smiled.

She highly doubted that Alistair or Chantalle would make an appearance today.

...


	39. Cause or Consequence

**I want to express my sincerest thanks to Megglesnake, PheonRen, Jinx1983, Warrose, LadyCallia and auradorina for their wonderful reviews! **

**Bioware owns **_**everything**_**! :D **

Chapter 39 - Cause or Consequence

_shaking_  
_Oh, my heart is aching_  
_We're coming to the edge_  
_running on the water_  
_coming through the fog_  
_your sons and daughters_  
_We the great and small_  
_stand on a star_  
_and blaze a trail of desire_  
_through the darkening dawn_  
_Carly Simon- Let the river run_  
.

.

Fiona stood in front of the cage, where the dying mabari was lying, its breath coming in short gasps. She felt really sorry for the poor animal, so she crouched and tried to make eye contact with it. She had put some of the potion into a piece of nug meat and she dangled it hopefully before the dog's eyes, hoping to get it to eat a bite.

The dog looked at her through its weariness and seemed to realize she was being nice for it moved its stump of a tail twice before reaching out to gingerly take the piece of meat. It chewed on it for a short while and swallowed painfully, then closed its eyes.

Fiona frowned.

She thought for a moment that the dog had finally passed away and was already thinking of returning to the kennels to ask for another dog, when she saw it start to tremble and paw in the air.

Then it began to whine pitifully along with the pawing and trembling and she took a step back, watching it, unable to take her eyes off it.

Finally the dog began to howl in pain and convulsed.

Then it went limp.

She sighed and turned, too sad to continue, and sat on the chair next to the table where she worked, fixing her eyes on the window before her.

She had been so sure, so certain!

Then, a noise came from the cage and she turned her head to see what it was.

The mabari hound that had been moments away from death now sat on its haunches, regarding her with a comical expression and wagging the stump of its tail eagerly. Its eyes held the sparkle of life in them, and it looked like it was smiling.

She laughed then and crossed the short distance to the cage, putting her hand through it to pet it.

He whined and nuzzled her hand, his tongue licking it gratefully.

A warm glow emanated from her hand as she focused, scanning the dog.

The Taint in it had been reduced. It was still there, yes, but it was now confined to a small area, no longer a menace to its health.

The dog would live, and it would probably live for years if it did not kill darkspawn again.

Fiona straightened and laughed again and the dog barked happily at her.

She then turned heel and went off to Alistair's room to give him the good news.

...

The door to Alistair's room opened a crack, and she saw one of his eyes glaring at her.

"Didn't I tell you I was taking the day off today, Fiona? We're kind of busy right now," he added, blushing as he spoke.

"Yes, yes, I know this. But there is something you really have to see, Alistair! It will only take but a minute and it's in my room. It's something worth the interruption, trust me," Fiona finished as she gazed into his amber eye.

He glared at her a few seconds more, then sighed.

"All right, all right. Just wait outside. I have to get dressed. I had to leave to get some food and water soon anyway," he said and shut the door softly.

After a few minutes, he opened the door again, and shut it behind him, looking down into her eyes with a curious expression.

"This had better be good, Fiona," he said.

"Oh, you are going to love it," she replied as they walked briskly side by side.

They reached the room very quickly and Fiona went inside first, Alistair following her. She led him to the other room she had, where she kept the dog and all her work, and pointed at the cage with the mabari inside, beaming.

Alistair looked at the mabari, that was sitting there looking attentively at Fiona, its tail thumping against the stone floor. Then he looked back at Fiona.

"It's a mabari hound, yes, I see that. You brought me all the way over just to let me know this dog has imprinted itself on you?" He sighed deeply.

"No, no! Of course not! This dog was dying a mere hour ago, Alistair! I fed it a piece of nug meat that had the potion in it. Then I performed a scan on it. The Taint in the dog has been reduced. So successfully in fact that the dog is now alive and healthy, as you can clearly see!"

His lips parted in amazement as he turned to look at the dog again, that was now tilting its head to the side, still looking at Fiona and Alistair.

"By the Maker!" He managed to say. "This is wonderful, Fiona!"

He gave her a bear hug and grinned.

"Do you know what this means, Alistair? Do you?"

He laughed, his eyes happily gazing into hers now.

"Yes, I do! You are a genius!" He added and embraced her again.

Fiona had just succeeded in discovering a cure of sorts for the Taint.

All the work and the countless hours she had put into this project were finally beginning to pay off.

...

For some strange reason, known only to Alistair himself, he became terribly protective of Chantalle from the day when they had discovered she was pregnant.

He hovered over her constantly now and went everywhere she went. Chantalle did not appreciate this. She no longer had a single private moment. Not one.

Her temper was becoming shorter as the days passed also. When they left for the circle tower to recruit more mages she had found herself yelling because she had misplaced her pack. Alistair had quickly moved in to let her know he carried it, and she had simply glared at him before turning around and walking to the mess hall, with him close behind of course.

He endured her bad temper and found himself strangely attracted to and frightened of her at the same time. His fear was more the concern that she would hurt herself and the child she was carrying than anything else.

They finally set off for the circle tower. Anders and Fiona went with them, much to Anders's dislike, but as he was a Grey Warden now, he doubted that they would be taking him prisoner anytime soon. Leliana also went with them, as did Duran, who was grateful to be out and running about.

Alistair had left Nathaniel in charge again, of course, and sighed contentedly enjoying the feel of his wife's body on the saddle in front of him. He had insisted she get on the horse in front of him with a quiet determination in his eyes, and she had agreed without questioning him or complaining, so he had carried her up onto the horse effortlessly and climbed up himself.

He took his place behind her; they were a tight fit, their bodies melded into each other. Alistair sighed happily as he took the reins.

He was extremely grateful that they had horses. The six horses they now were riding had been a gift from one of the banns in Amaranthine, grateful for their assistance in clearing his estate from darkspawn and blight wolves before they could do any real damage to it.

Chantalle settled comfortably onto the saddle, wiggling her bottom against his armor, and Alistair leaned forward, nuzzling her neck and lost it for a moment.

Duran's voice brought him back.

"Nothing like a horse to _ride_, eh Commander?"

...

They managed to recruit two more mages while at the tower, and a couple of days later, slowly made their way back to Amaranthine.

One of the recruits was an elven mage, like Fiona, and the two bonded instantly. She had no memory of where she came from nor of her parents, and she said her name was Neira but did not have a family name to go by.

The other recruit was a human mage. His name was Jacob Amell and he and Alistair were friendly to each other by the time they had arrived at their next destination. It was a little strange to all of them that the almost Templar got along so well with mages and made his mother, Fiona, wonder that it might be because he carried this affinity in his blood.

Instead of heading to the north, they head due east and after a few days, Chantalle asked her husband where they were going, curious about the current path they were taking.

Alistair chuckled into her hair, his breath ticking her ear as he leaned forward eagerly.

Placing a soft kiss behind her ear he murmured, "You'll see," his breath causing her neck to tingle and a shiver to run up and down her body. Ever since she had known she was pregnant she had noticed a slight increase in her desire for him. She wondered if all pregnant women went crazy with lust like she was experiencing, or if it was just she? Alistair had, of course, noticed this increase in her sexual appetite, and was enjoying it immensely.

He was, however, extremely embarrassed one night when they had set up their tents for camping and Fiona approached him.

"Alistair, you really must keep the...ah...volume down. The rest of us are having trouble sleeping," Fiona's blush was only a tad bit under deep crimson and her son soon matched hers.

"Uh, um...oh...he he," he said, unable to meet her gaze. "I- um...sorry about that," he added lamely. "I'll be sure to tell Chantalle. We'll try to keep it down from now on."

"Good to know," Fiona said and turned, leaving him standing there feeling uncomfortable. This feeling did not last long, for Chantalle stuck her head out of their tent, and called his name.

"Alistair? I'm having some trouble with...the...bedrolls."

From where he was standing, he could see the lustful look she was giving him.

He nearly broke into a run in his desire to get into the tent.

...

They had been moving steadily for five days when they caught sight of some elves in the distance.

Alistair smiled, knowing full well that they had finally arrived. Chantalle turned her head slightly and glanced at him curiously, a half-smile on her lip, her eyes bright.

"They are Dalish, are they not?" She whispered excitedly.

"Yes, my love," he said and grinned at her excitement.

He was pleased to see that Mithra was still leading her patrol and standing guard at the camp entrance.

"Greetings, wardens," she said, and then her eyes fell on Chantalle, who had slid off the horse, helped by Alistair and now was standing there, beaming at Mithra. Mithra's eyes lit up as she smiled back. "I see you bring one of our own with you this time. Follow me. I am sure Keeper Lanaya will be overjoyed with your visit."

They left their horses behind and followed her to the keeper.

Keeper Lanaya was, indeed, very pleased to see Alistair and Duran again.

"Andaren Atish'an Grey Wardens," she greeted them, her eyes falling on Chantalle. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Hello, Lanaya, it is our pleasure as well to see you again. There are two things which I have to speak to you about. But first let me introduce my companions," Alistair said and began to introduce all except for Leliana, who already knew Lanaya. He saved Fiona and Chantalle for last.

"This lady beside me is my mother, Lanaya," he said and was rewarded with an appreciative glance from the keeper before she gave Fiona a bright smile. Fiona smiled back.

"This beautiful lady on my right is my wife, Chantalle. She is Dalish like you. Her clan perished in Orlais when the darkspawn attacked them and she was the only survivor. We came to her aid and she was recruited into the grey wardens," Alistair said, his eyes full of love and adoration as he introduced her.

Lanaya was surprised at this, but her eyes showed nothing but admiration and tenderness as she clasped Chantalle's hand tightly. "Andaren Atish'an, lethallin," she greeted Chantalle, and Chantalle's eyes sparkled warmly at her as she replied the same greeting in return. "It is strange that you have married a human man, but he is one of the best shemlen there is. I congratulate you both."

"Ma seranas, Keeper," Chantalle replied graciously. "We are also expecting our first child six months from now," Chantalle added happily.

"A child? That is truly a blessing, lethallin," Lanaya smiled brightly at the news. "Come, sit with me in my aravel. If you don't mind me taking her away for a short time, Alistair?"

"No, of course not," Alistair said, gazing at his wife happily and lovingly. "We'll go say hello to Sarel, is he still around?"

"Yes, he is by the fire. He will be happy to speak to you as well. We will join you by the fire later, lethallin." Alistair felt pleased at being called this, for he knew it was a term of endearment used only among the Dalish. Chantalle gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving with Lanaya and he and the rest of his companions went off to check for supplies with Varathorn first, who was also happy to see both Alistair and Duran again.

They soon found themselves sitting around the fire, listening to Sarel's tales and eating some food they were offered as well as beverages.

Lanaya and Chantalle soon joined them and Alistair placed his arm around his wife, drawing her near.

"Keeper Lanaya, there is something I wished to discuss with you also," Alistair said. "More like something that I would like to give you and hope sincerely that you will accept."

Lanaya smiled at Alistair and nodded, eagerly awaiting for him to carry on.

"Well," Alistair began. "I am to be crowned the King of Ferelden in seven months and Chantalle will be crowned Queen. My coronation and Chantalle's will take place after our child is born."

Lanaya's lips parted in surprise, while Sarel seemed to have lost all powers of speech. His reaction, however, was not one Alistair expected.

"A child? Born of a Dalish woman and a human man? This is sad news for us," Sarel muttered under his breath, but loud enough for all to hear.

"Sarel, Chantalle lost all her people, Alistair rescued her and she became a grey warden. He is her clan now. We must rejoice for her and her love," Lanaya replied firmly. She had more open views about the relationship between elves and humans, as it was her wish that all hostilities would cease between them one day, while Sarel was immersed in the old ways and still was wary and a bit hostile towards humans and outsiders in general, and Alistair knew this so he said nothing.

"Forgive me keeper, I know you mean well," Sarel sighed.

"If I may, Keeper Lanaya?" Alistair requested, and she nodded her head and smiled warmly at him. "The thing is that I know that you need a place you can call home. I know what this means to you and your people. I wanted to give you land for you to accomplish your wish. I truly admire the Dalish and would be extremely happy if you accepted my humble gift to you."

Both Lanaya and Chantalle's lips parted in surprise at this, while Fiona smiled at her son proudly. She was not Dalish, true, but she did know of the tale and their desire to finally have land where they could settle down.

"This is a wonderful and generous gift, Alistair," Lanaya said when she recovered from her surprise. "We would gladly accept."

"It gladdens my heart to hear this, keeper," Alistair grinned. "I request your presence at our coronation. It is then that I shall make the announcement, but know now that the land that will be granted to you is the land to the south, west of the Brecilian Forest, in the Kocari Wilds. It includes the ruins of Ostagar, where we fought our first battles against the darkspawn."

Lanaya smiled graciously, but he did not see this, he was gazing into Chantalle's sapphire eyes deeply, pleased at what he was seeing there.

She was looking at him as if he were a god come to life.

He would never forget that look for as long as he lived.

...

Fergus Cousland was making his way to the study to finally check the correspondence that had arrived earlier at the palace, when a guard intercepted him in the corridor.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but there is someone that is here in the palace that wishes to see you. This person collapsed at the gates, but she said your name before losing consciousness. We have brought her into the throne room. She is currently heavily guarded, but still unconscious, Sire."

"Thank you, I will make my way to the throne room immediately," Fergus replied.

Fergus was there shortly afterwards, where a female figure could be seen lying on the stone floor of the throne room, and four soldiers standing guard. He approached the figure and gave a gasp as he stared down at a face he thought had been slaughtered when Howe's soldiers had overrun Castle Cousland a little less than four years ago. His breathing hitched and his eyes widened as he knelt before her and stared down into her thin, haggard face. Words failed him.

The woman opened her beautiful teal eyes slowly and croaked "Fergus." She smiled, a ghost of a smile, a ghost of the woman she had once been.

With a sob he gathered her into his arms and thanked the Maker for this miracle.

He would nurse her back to health and never let her out of his sight again.

...

**A/N: Cookies for the people who can guess who the mystery woman is! ;) **


	40. The Impossible becomes Possible

**First of all, my deepest thanks to Megglesnake, Jinx1983, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Warrose and tim94 for their wonderful reviews as well as to all that favorited this story and are following it! A special thanks goes to KCousland and Liso66 who are reviewing past chapters and catching up! Thanks so much! :D **

**Some of you got cookies! LOL **

**A chapter full of revelations...**

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 40 - The Impossible becomes Possible

_I just want to be there_

_When we're caught in the rain_

_I just want to see you laugh not cry_

_I just want to feel you_

_When the night puts on its cloak_

_I'm lost for words don't tell me_

_All I can say_

_I love you till the end_

_I love you till the end-The Pogues_

.

.

Chantalle was due to see Fiona and she made haste. The fact that she was Alistair's mother had very little to do with that, what mattered was that Fiona could be rather intimidating. Especially if she was angry.

She knocked on her door and was relieved when Fiona answered with a smile.

"Come in, Chantalle. I've been expecting you," Fiona smiled.

"Yes, well, it's been a month now and you have to scan me again, right?" Chantalle said trying to keep the bored tone from her voice.

Another knock on the door interrupted their chat. Alistair stood there when Fiona flung the door open, a scowl on his face.

"Hello, Fiona," he said seriously, but not unkindly. Then he walked into the room directly to where Chantalle was sitting. "Love, you know I always come with you every month when Fiona scans you. I told you the business with the new recruits would take but a few moments. Why didn't you wait for me?" He asked, disapproval on his face as he lightly caressed her cheek.

"Sorry, my love. I didn't want to keep Fiona waiting. What is important is that you are here, no?" She smiled up at him and Alistair felt his heart do a weird little summersault. He smiled back, all traces of disapproval gone.

"Well, then, sorry to interrupt, but we should get on with it," Fiona sniffed and motioned to her bed. Alistair helped Chantalle to her feet, and to the bed where she lay down.

Chantalle was fast approaching her seventh month. Her belly was showing and it was very attractive to Alistair, even though she complained constantly about being 'as fat as a cow'. She removed her tunic and allowed Fiona to scan her, while Alistair gazed upon her with both love and desire, a blush already on his handsome face.

Fiona frowned after a few minutes. Her hands fell down to her sides and her eyes took on a surprised look. Both Alistair and Chantalle noticed this immediately.

"What's wrong Fiona?" He said, his heart wrenching painfully inside him with fear.

She did not reply, but put her hands over Chantalle's swollen abdomen again and performed a second scan.

Her frown deepened.

"Why do you keep frowning? There's something wrong, isn't there?" Alistair panicked. Chantalle bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"A few minutes, please. I really need Anders to perform a scan as well. He'll have to see you without your tunic on, my dear. Is this going to be a problem for you?" She spoke to Chantalle but had her eyes on her son.

Alistair blushed again, and then turned to his wife, who was still struggling to keep the tears back.

"I don't know...can't she put on her tunic for this additional scan?" He swallowed. The lump he had in his throat was still there.

"No, but she can drape it over her breasts to cover her breast band. And I'll put a blanket over her smalls. Her abdomen must be exposed for this," Fiona replied quickly.

They both nodded. Fiona excused herself to go get Anders.

The moment they were alone, Chantalle burst into tears.

"Hush, my love, hush," Alistair said, feeling his own heart break into pieces as well. He took her in his arms and rocked her gently while holding her close, still whispering words of endearment to her as he caressed her head and shoulders, planting kisses on her cheeks, then wiping her tears away.

When Fiona returned with Anders, she was surprised at the scene that greeted her. She shook her head lightly and managed a slight smile.

"Honestly you two! Such drama! You have nothing to worry about, trust me," Fiona said kindly. Anders winked at them both and approached Chantalle. His hands went over her twice before turning to confirm his results to her.

"Yes, that is true. It's gone," Anders said, his voice sounding strangely confused.

"Gone?" Alistair echoed, his voice breaking. "What's gone? Why are you two smiling now? What's going on?"

"Something I haven't seen happen in nearly twenty-five years, that's what's going on," Fiona replied, her brow furrowing. "I don't understand how this is possible, but it's happened before, with me. To me."

She took a deep breath and looked at them both first before speaking.

"Chantalle, the Taint in you has disappeared completely. Vanished without a trace. The child you carry also bears no mark of the Taint in it. You are both free from the Taint." She ended up saying quietly.

Chantalle eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"What?" She said. "How is that even possible?"

Alistair stood there, too stunned to even speak. He opened his mouth several times but no sound could come out. Try as he might, he could not speak.

"I...don't know..." Fiona sighed heavily. "The only memory I have of this happening was when it happened to me. The Taint also disappeared when I was starting my seventh month of being pregnant. Alistair was born without a trace of the Taint in him. This is...unexpected. I thought it was an impossible thing. The wardens at Weisshaupt reacted as if it was something impossible anyway. They thought it was a miracle."

"Unexpected? Is that all you can say?" Alistair said. He had recovered his power of speech. "It's impossible, but it's happened twice so far, right? So this means that it is not as impossible as you think." He finished firmly, smiling at her.

"Yes, I know," Fiona said, and suddenly was quiet, while Alistair bent down to take Chantalle in his arms and give her a kiss. Chantalle was all smiles but wanted to listen to what Fiona was saying as well.

"So, what's the problem?" Anders drawled, his eyes twinkling. "I'd say this is a cause to celebrate."

"Yes, I would like to second that," Alistair smiled up at him. He was seated on the bed comfortably, his arms around Chantalle, so that he was leaning against the headboard. Her head was on his chest, and she was beaming.

Fiona was the only one with a frown on her face.

"What's wrong, Fiona? Aren't you happy with the way things are working out here?" Alistair asked.

Fiona scoffed, but replied in a softer tone.

"Of course I'm happy! This means that Chantalle and the child will not suffer the Grey Warden burden."

"I sense a 'but' somewhere, Fiona," Alistair teased.

"Well. I can't help but think that all this is tied to the reason why there aren't many women wardens. Women were meant to conceive. They are turned into broodmothers after all, in order to conceive more darkspawn. They are raped and fed flesh, they drink blood, and so on. The darkspawn vomit into them, to pass the sickness into their bodies. Then they turn into broodmothers. This may be a reason why there aren't many women wardens."

"Was that what they wanted to do to me, then?" Chantalle sounded both horrified and disgusted.

"Yes, my dear. I never was able to tell you this. I'm sorry," Alistair said, his arms tightening around her slightly.

"Anders, turn around please, I'd like to put my tunic back on." She muttered and Anders complied, turning quickly so that she could have some privacy.

"Well, Fiona. Is that all you have to say about this?" Alistair said, his brow furrowing.

"I'm sorry. I would like you all to leave. I must gather my thoughts and read some books. I have with me some journals from Weisshaupt from the time of the Second Blight. The First Warden sent them to me hoping that they would help me with my research. But I must check them immediately. I have a thought, more of a hunch really. Could all of you please leave?" She looked at them all steadily, her gaze unflinching

"Yes, of course. Come, my love. Let's go downstairs and see if dinner is ready for us. Are you coming Anders?" Alistair turned to the mage.

"Sure thing. When food is involved I never say no," Anders deadpanned.

"I think that goes the same way for whenever a beautiful woman tries to seduce you, right?" Alistair smirked.

"I am deeply insulted, Commander. I'm very devoted to my Lillylee." He answered in offended tones.

"Lillylee?" Alistair burst out laughing, while Chantalle chuckled beside him. "Does she know you call her that?"

They all went out the door, and Fiona was left alone. She nearly ran to the next room and opened her trunk.

Breathlessly she started to look for the journals and quickly found them. Then, sitting at her desk, she took the first one, and started to read.

Fiona read for the remainder of the day and all through the night.

She forgot about dinner and breakfast too.

When she was done with the first book, she went on to the next.

They would not see her again for two days.

...

Fergus stared down at the young woman lying on the bed. He had sent for a healer and now was waiting for her to wake up.

When she finally did, she gave a sob and flung herself into his waiting arms.

"Fergus! Oh, Fergus, I'm so happy to be here with you!" She said, crying on his chest.

"Elissa! Thank the Maker for you!" Fergus said, his voice laden with emotion. "How is this even possible?"

"Mother and Father saved my life, Fergus," she sobbed. "They made me leave, through the servant's exit in the larder. Father had already been mortally wounded, and Mother would not come with me. They both made me leave them. They...saved my life, Fergus." She cried harder, her tears streaming down her cheeks and into his doublet.

"Ah, little sister. We're together now, that is what matters," he said softly, his heart nearly breaking. "But where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come sooner?"

"I tried to get away from Howe's men. I tried to put all the distance I could from him and his treachery. So I travelled to Orlais by boat. I thought that Val Royeaux was a city where he could send his men over as spies or hire assassins to kill me, so I went to some of the smaller, less conspicuous towns. And before I could arrive to my final destination, I met some bandits on the road. They managed to beat me up and rape me. They left me for dead. They stole everything I was carrying with me. When I woke up, I think I may have hit my head because I had a big bruise on the back of my head, and...I did not know who I was. After arriving at the town, I started working as a serving girl in the local tavern. I worked there all these years, until my memory started to return. I would have these flashes of my past life from time to time, you see."

Fergus nodded, his eyes brimming over with tears. "By the Maker, Elissa! I cannot even imagine how terrible it must have been for you!" He said sadly.

"It was terrible, but when I finally remembered who I was and what I was doing there, I made my way to Montsimmard. And there I heard about the Blight and what had happened to Ferelden. I also heard about the 'Defender of Orlais' and what had happened in other towns and villages. Fortunately, the Defender of Orlais put a stop to the attacks before the darkspawn reached the town I was living in," she sighed. "Once I knew who I was, I returned to Ferelden as soon as I could. But I could no longer afford to take a ship back here and had to walk."

He held his sister close and sighed deeply.

"I am so glad you are here. I will send a servant up with food. You must be starving!" Fergus said.

"Thank you, Fergus! And while I eat, could you fill me in on the details of how you became the regent?"

"Of course, little sister. I don't think I could keep quiet about that, even if I wanted to," Fergus grinned.

...

Chantalle and Alistair made their way to Fiona's rooms. She had sent word with Anders that she wished to talk to them.

Alistair knocked on Fiona's door and waited for her to call them inside. They made their way to the room where she carried out her experiments and sat on some chairs she had there.

"I found what I was looking for," Fiona said. There was a gleam in her eye that Alistair had never seen before. He smiled.

"By the look on your face, I imagine that it was all positive?" Alistair shot back, while he chuckled.

"I discovered that there are two reasons why there aren't many women wardens. As a matter of fact, the senior wardens that have been to Weisshaupt and leave go back to their compounds with the idea that women are never supposed to become wardens," Fiona continued, her face flushing with excitement now.

"The fact is that this _has_ _been_ kept a secret and for a very good reason," she said. "But the First Warden had ...er..._feelings_ for me, and earnestly tried to help me with my research, so he sent me the journals detailing information from the Second Blight and Third," she added, her flush turning into a crimson blush as Alistair sniggered. "I swear, Alistair, if you say one word right now, I'll hex you!" She warned.

Alistair forced his face into a serious mask.

"You see, there are records of women wardens in these journals. They also detail the reason why women should not be made wardens. The first is, of course, due to the fact that when they go to their Calling, they become Broodmothers. The second is that when women conceive, the Taint miraculously vanishes from their bodies and from the infants they bear. They write about these cases. So far I've read about nine cases. In each case, the woman who conceived bore no traces of the Taint in her, and when the child was born, it was born without the Taint as well."

"The wardens who investigated this before and after the Third Blight found no reason for this and called it a miracle. But I think it's because a woman's body fights any aggressive thing that may endanger the baby inside her. The Taint, of course, is extremely aggressive. Therefore, the body must expel it at all cost, in order to ensure a safe haven for the child. I don't want to hold on to this explanation but it's the only one I've got at the moment," she said.

"Seems reasonable enough to me for now," Alistair said. "Of course, the real issue here is how the order hides everything from everyone. All the half-truths told. All the lies and cover-ups," he sighed.

"They have to, Alistair, in order to survive," Fiona said quietly.

"Yes, I understand that. But still. Duncan told me that grey wardens go into the Deep Roads when the nightmares begin. That the Calling is ending their lives fighting the darkspawn. That isn't true, is it? So, I'm a little bit disappointed. Why didn't he just tell me the truth of what we become? What _really _happens?"

"I don't know, Alistair," Fiona frowned. "But he may have just been trying to make it easier for you. Maybe he was going to tell you before he left. But the battle kept him from doing that."

They both lapsed into silence, lost in their thoughts.

"Alistair, you mustn't let this put a damper on the admiration and love you feel for Duncan. He was a good and kind man and one of my best friends. He really cared about you." Fiona's words touched him. He nodded, unable to speak.

After a while he did say some words, and they were said full of emotion. Chantalle squeezed his hand reassuringly as he spoke.

"He was a good man, who didn't deserve what happened to him, that's for sure."

...


	41. A Prince is Born

**I'd like to thank KCousland, Warrose, LadyCallia, PheonRen, megglesnake and Jinx1983 for their fantastic reviews! Many thanks to Liso66 as well, who is reviewing past chapters. You are all so wonderful and your reviews mean a lot to me. :) **

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but the voices in my head told me to stop there! LOL **

**The next one will be long, I guarantee it! ;) **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 41 - A Prince is Born

_Through the darkness and good times_

_I knew I'd make it through_

_And the world thought I had it all_

_But I was waiting for you_

_Hush, now_

_I see a light in the sky_

_Oh, it's almost blinding me_

_I can't believe_

_If I've been touched by an angel with love_

_Let the rain come down and wash away my tears_

_Let it fill my soul and drown my fears_

_Let it shatter the walls for a new sun_

_A new day has come, oh_

_Celine Dion - A New Day Has Come_

.

.

Chantalle had a very sad look on her face when Alistair entered the room that evening. She was very heavy now, being so close to actually giving birth, that he had asked her to stay behind at the keep while he took care of the things that kept him away. He had just returned from a trip to the city of Amaranthine with Nathaniel to introduce him as the next arl.

Alistair took one look at her face and closed the distance between them quickly. He knelt before her, softly caressing her swollen abdomen, his hands traveling up to her face.

"What is it my love? You look so sad," he crooned.

"Oh Alistair, I'm so glad you are back!" She planted a kiss on his lips and sighed deeply.

"What troubles you my dear wife?" He pulled her as closely as he could to him, mindful of her swollen belly.

There were tears in her eyes when she spoke to him next.

"I don't know why I didn't think about it before," she cried softly, tears finally streaming down her cheeks. "But now that I don't carry the Taint, I realized that you still do! You only have twenty-six more years left, and then? You will head off to the Deep Roads, and disappear forever. I cannot bear the thought of what will happen to you..." she trailed off, sobbing, her gasps making it difficult for her to speak.

"Ah, my darling," Alistair said softly. "Please do not cry so! It cannot be good for our child."

He smoothed her hair away and kissed her tears trying to comfort her.

"Alistair. I don't want you to go into the Deep Roads! I want you to stay with me. With our child. You can't let this happen!"

He whispered words of endearment to her but she pushed him away.

"I won't be able to live without you, Alistair. I won't be queen without you. I cannot rule a nation alone. I want only to be your wife and the mother of our child. I cannot rule! I won't! I won't do this!"

She was extremely agitated. He had never before seen her like this and he moved to take her in his arms but she pushed him away and stood up abruptly. Then she looked down at her feet and back to his handsome worried face, her face a mask of bewilderment.

"Oh!" She said, her eyes wide. "My water just broke!"

"What?" Alistair didn't know what that meant.

"I'm having the baby, Alistair! Get Fiona!" And she doubled over in pain.

Alistair paled and took a few steps back.

"I don't want to leave you - "

Chantalle gave a scream that made him jump.

"Go get Fiona NOW!" Her face contorted with pain and he didn't need to be told twice.

...

"Well, little sister. You now know everything there is to now," Fergus spoke in a quiet voice. He was sitting at the desk in the study, looking into Elissa's lovely teal-colored eyes. "But there is still something we should discuss."

"And what is that, Fergus dear?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Now that you are here, I think we should be discussing your future. As soon as Alistair comes back to the palace next month, he will be needing a chancellor, an advisor. I think he will ask me to stay on as his advisor. If this happens, I will need you to take my place as Teryna back home."

Elissa blinked back at him, visibly surprised at what he had just said.

"But brother! It is your duty to be Teryn. Have you forgotten that you are the eldest?" She said.

"No, I haven't forgotten this. But I also know that Alistair will need a lot of help and he and I are good friends. I would not deny him this. Not after all he has done for Ferelden. He is even giving up his position as warden commander to rule Ferelden. I will not abandon him," Fergus said seriously.

"I don't know if I want to accept this, Fergus. I think your place is in Highever, with me. This will mean you won't be returning home, and I cannot accept that at all," Elissa shot back at him, setting her jaw stubbornly. "Friendship is all very good, but family is what really matters. And this Alistair is not your family."

"No, he isn't. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't help him. I want to," Fergus responded with determination. His gaze softened after a while.

"Listen, Elissa. I understand what your concern is here. I will be visiting Highever as much as I can. But I really need to do this first. Maybe after he gets used to being king, I can return to Highever and take my place as Teryn. So, why don't you do this as a temporary favor for me?"

She gazed back into his eyes, and sighed.

"All right, Fergus. I'll do it. But it's just temporary. And now I'm certainly curious about the kind of man that has you pledging your loyalty to him so unreservedly. He must be quite a character," she mused.

"That he is, dear sister. You'll see for yourself when you meet him. There has never been a kinder man and I think Ferelden will love him," he smiled.

"He married a Dalish elf, did he not?" Elissa smiled back.

"Yes. A very beautiful woman, who is also expecting their first child. She will make a fine queen."

Elissa's eyebrows shot up. While she tolerated elves, and had always treated them as equals, the idea of one ruling beside the King of Ferelden still seemed a bit strange to her.

"She must be kind and good for him to have married her. I am surprised that the Landsmeet didn't ask to have his marriage annulled," she said thoughtfully.

"I don't think they could have, because of what he revealed to him. Once he said that his mother was an elf as well, the nobles shut right up and the votes in favor clearly surpassed those that opposed. Nearly the whole room supported him as king. Besides, you must understand that things have changed both in Orlais and Ferelden."

"Yes, I know. What should worry you, Fergus, is that there are still three of them that opposed. Both you and I know what noblemen are capable of. I would keep an eye out for the king and his queen if I were you," she said, her fingers tapping the surface of the desk absent-mindedly.

"Oh, count on it," Fergus smiled.

...

Alistair took to pacing the corridor outside his room. Next to him were Duran and Leliana, Nathaniel was checking at intervals, but otherwise busy with the recruits.

The sounds of Chantalle's screams were interrupted every so often by Fiona's calm and steady voice. Anders was inside the room as well, but not a peep could be heard coming from him.

"Well." Duran spoke up, his gruff voice making Alistair jump nervously.

"Well what?" He shot back at his friend.

"I'm just thinking. Anders is going to faint when she gives birth. But don't mind me," he added cheerfully.

"You make a comment like that and then tell me not to mind you?" Alistair blinked, unable to believe his words.

Duran smiled blandly up at him. Alistair was a nice bloke. For a human, that is. He cared about him deeply, so he didn't wish to disturb him unnecessarily, but he had just practically asked him for an explanation, so taking a deep breath he started to explain.

"Birthing is not pretty. I was at one once. One of my brother's mistresses back in Orzammar. I was minding my business, trying to get more food in the larder, when she waddled into me and started screaming. I thought she'd lost her mind, I did, but no! She was actually having the baby! And then when the cook arrived and saw this, she just laid her on one of the side tables and..." he shuddered with the memory.

"And what?" Alistair whispered his question, his eyes dark with fear and curiosity at the same time.

"Oh. There was a lot of blood. But that wasn't what made me faint," Duran gulped.

Alistair swallowed painfully.

"Then what was it?" He croaked.

"Her screams and her...vagina tearing open as the child's head started to appear...this bloody head coming out of..." he stopped when he saw the look on Alistair's face. Sweat covered his brow.

"Maker's breath!" He squeaked, then swallowed again as a totally different look replaced the curious one he had previously.

He now looked absolutely terrified.

"What if she is too small? I mean, she's an elf, and she's tiny! Oh, Maker!" His hands flew to his face and covered it.

"Alistair, she will be fine!" Leliana said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Alistair groaned into his hands and at that moment, Chantalle let out a shriek that pierced his heart.

His hands fell away from his face, and he stared at the door in pure terror.

"Maker! I've killed her! It's my fault she is suffering all this!" He mumbled.

"Ah, she is a strong one, Alistair. I'm sure she'll be fine," Duran patted his arm hoping to give Alistair some hope. But the look on Duran's face was far from hopeful.

"Why is it taking so long? Holy Maker, I don't know if I can stand much more of this!" Alistair whined.

"It takes a long time for women to have their first child. Just be calm, Alistair. All this is perfectly normal," Leliana replied kindly.

"Normal, she says! It sounds like she is dying in there! What if she's dying, Leliana? What if -"

He never got a chance to continue talking. There was an audible click that interrupted him in mid-sentence, which meant that the door was being unlocked. Alistair's eyes immediately fell on the handle. It was turning slowly.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Fiona, carrying an infant in her arms. She walked over to Alistair and handed him the bundled up baby, showing him how to hold it gently. He took it in his arms, afraid of hurting it.

Alistair felt his heart swell with such a feeling of love, he thought it would explode. He looked at the infant he held, all pink and soft. The little puckered lips were pink as well. It had its eyes closed and its tiny hands were curled. It had a wisp of blond hair on its head. Such tiny perfection! Alistair's lips curled up in a soft smile.

"Congratulations, it's a boy," Fiona told him.

"And Chantalle? Is she -" He swallowed.

"She is fine, Alistair, but exhausted. Though I must ask you to please be quiet. Give me a moment, while I tend to something in there. I'll let you know when you can come in." She smiled at them all.

"Tend to something?" Alistair's voice whispered, though it could still be heard. He was gently rocking his child in his arms.

"Yes. I'm afraid Anders has fainted."

...


	42. The King and His Dalish Queen

**Once again thanks to all my incredible readers and reviewers! Megglesnake, Jinx1983, LadyCallia, PheonRen, Warrose, KCousland, and Liso66. Your reviews are what kept me going! **

**This has been a great experience. I love all of you. **

**There is an A/N at the end of the epilogue. It will say a few important things as to what I'm working on now. ;) **

**Bioware really and truly owns, but I play with their characters and win! hahaha! :P **

Chapter 42 - The King and His Dalish Queen

**Alistair's personal journal:**

_What to name a child that is the most important thing in your life? Well, besides your wife who is the light of your existence... We have discussed this, and even though Chantalle urges me to name him Duncan, I don't know if it is the right thing to do. I'm thinking more than ever for a name that is right for him because he is to become King of Ferelden in the future. _

_He is perfect. In every single way. He has the most beautiful dark blue-grey eyes in the world, but Fiona has told me that his eyes will change color. That all babies are born with bluish-grey eyes that change later. The only thing is that a part of me wishes terribly for him to have his mother's eyes. Those twin sapphires that are more precious to me than anything else. _

_I've been writing in the Keep log mostly, and not here in my personal journal. I have neglected writing these past months for far too long. Mostly because my life has turned into a whirlwind of things to do and problems to solve. Since there is a log at the keep for writing all the important things that have been happening, I simply did not have the energy to write again. I just wanted to take a bath, and lay with my wife after a long stressful day. _

_My life so different before, and now so changed. Drastic changes. Two weeks from today, I'm to go to Denerim and I will be crowned King of Ferelden. Curious that I am actually looking forward to the one thing I have been avoiding with all my heart. I thought I did not want to be king. The truth was that I did not want the responsibility of taking the crown because I was afraid of making decisions that could affect the lives of many. I thought that I would never make a good leader. This is why Duran led our small group during the Blight. _

_But when I became the Warden Commander, these things changed. I found myself in charge and I made decisions. And they __**did**__ turn out to be good decisions. I forced myself to look for the best solutions and help others the best I could. And I think I did a good job. _

_Maker, I hope I did! _

_The one thing that helped me decide to take the throne was Chantalle's utter faith in me. She is probably the main reason why I am doing this. She believes that I could make a difference. Her unconditional faith in me fills my heart and keeps me whole. Her loyalty knows no boundaries. Maker bless her and keep her by my side always! She is my rock and my strength. I hope to be a good and fair monarch, but in truth if I didn't have her by my side ruling as queen, I don't think I would have ever accepted the throne. She thinks ahead, and is good and kind. She makes a decision and does not waver. She will make a great queen. I will never stop thanking the Maker and Andraste for bringing her into my life. _

_I am a better man, a better person thanks to her. _

_Chantalle is now as Taint-free as our child is. A miracle? Perhaps. And one that is not to be taken lightly. I will ask Fiona to give me some of her potion so that I can have the Taint reduced in me. I will do this for my love, for I cannot leave her twenty-six years from now. I will not do that to her. _

_Am I selfish? Perhaps. Did I want to become a Warden? Always. Do I want to still be a Warden after all I that I know today? _

_I'm not so sure about that..._

_Truth be told, things and people change and when one discovers long-kept secrets, when one __**sees**__ that things are not always black and white but that there are many shades of grey...Well..._

_Let's just say that they are called __**Grey **__Wardens for a reason and leave it at that, shall we? _

_My love has finally woken up and our child is crying. I must stop writing now to be with my family. _

_Maker's breath! My family! _

_At long last. _

Alistair closed his journal with a snap and a smile on his lips as he stood up and went to his wife's side. Chantalle was nursing their son and Alistair knelt on the floor beside them. The look on his face conveyed such love and adoration for the two most important people in his life that Chantalle's breath hitched slightly. Her loving eyes met and held his.

There were no words. Words would spoil this moment.

But there was the feeling of completion. The feeling of belonging. The feeling of total love and tenderness.

And these feelings would always be with them.

For the rest of their lives.

...

Fergus and Elissa stood at the palace gates and watched Alistair getting off his horse and running to the wagon behind him. He reappeared with the loveliest woman Elissa had ever set eyes upon. Her delicate features and soft golden hair shone brightly in the sunlight, her smile brightened her entire face. When she got closer, she observed dark blue eyes the exact same color of...sapphires! Elissa bowed low in a curtsey.

Alistair blushed.

"Oh, I didn't know you had company Fergus, I hope we aren't interrupting anything, and please, rise my good lady!" He said with a smile.

Elissa smiled back at the young prince, grateful for his easy-going manner. She sized him up curiously as he and Fergus continued chatting.

"This is my sister, Elissa, Alistair. She went missing during the assault on our castle, traveling to Orlais but too afraid to stay in one place, for Howe was after her-"

Elissa nodded at the would-be-king and continued to look at him curiously. He seemed to be a good man, and kind too. He had an easy-going nature and was simply charming. She could see he resembled Cailan greatly too.

She felt a pair of curious eyes on her and turned to see that his wife was doing the same thing she was, but focusing on her and Elissa blushed at being caught but did not lower her eyes or flinch at Chantalle's scrutinizing stare. Chantalle blinked back and then she smiled.

_Maker's blood! That smile was enough to light up an entire room! _

The child in Chantalle's arms began to wriggle and stretch his little arms and Elissa immediately started to coo, getting really close to them. They were joined by an elven mage whom Alistair introduced as his mother and another mage a human one, who was standing near a red-head that smiled prettily at them all. Then a dwarf made an appearance. He nodded cheerfully to Elissa when he was introduced and made the funniest remarks she had heard so far.

"Well, I've missed this place! Such fun times we had when we were here last! Besides, nothing like the palace to bring a spring to our steps! It has the best ale in all Thedas!"

"Trust you to talk about alcohol," Anders muttered.

"Excuse me, sparkle fingers? If you say another word, I'll let everyone here know how you HELPED when Alistair's son was born," Duran shot back, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Anders's jaw dropped at this.

"Let's all go inside, shall we? We have dinner waiting for you all," Fergus chuckled.

...

The Coronation was simple but elegant. All the nobles were gathered in the throne room and they watched eagerly as Alistair and Chantalle were crowned the rulers of Ferelden.

Alistair was crowned first. The Grand Cleric blessed him in the name of Andraste and the Maker. She placed the golden crown on his head as he knelt and then he turned to his wife, who was kneeling as well. Taking a smaller crow from a cushion on a table next to them on the dais, he put it on her head and proclaimed her his queen. She rose as well and took an oath to serve the crown and the people of Ferelden for as long as they lived.

Then, hand in hand, they both turned to all present and waved.

The crowd cheered them.

"Long live the King and Queen of Ferelden!"

Alistair waited for the cheers to stop, and for silence reigning in the room before he continued. He motioned to Fiona who was standing on the right of the dais, holding a bundle in her arms. Fiona approached Alistair and gave him the bundle.

It was a baby.

The nobles gasped in wonder.

"Lords and Ladies. I give you the Crown Prince of Ferelden. Prince Calenhad Theirin. Maker bless him now and always."

The crowed was silent and Calenhad opened his big blue-grey eyes and smiled up at his father, his tiny fists flailing about cheerfully as he made baby sounds, his eyes never leaving his father's handsome face who was looking down lovingly at him.

Many of the nobles sighed and some even had tears in their eyes. But there was one thing that was certain: The scene before them had touched them deeply.

All the nobles broke into more cheering and applauses as Fiona took the child again, this time giving it to the nurse who took it to the royal chambers.

"And now, lords and ladies. I have some announcements to make. I wish you all to be very patient with me. I'm kind of new at this," Alistair grinned and they twittered at his words.

Alistair went on to give out boons to some of the banns there. He focused mainly on those who had supported him for the throne, not mentioning the three that had opposed him, which were also in the room.

He had looked at them briefly and coldly, his eyes expressing what he felt. The banns had in turn looked very uncomfortable.

When he did mention them, they were taken aback.

"Gentlemen, I wish a private audience with the three of you once this is over, if you will?"

The three banns nodded and bowed, looking at each other nervously.

Alistair then focused on the last two things he wanted to say. He cleared his throat and waited for the room to quiet down. The nobles had not expected the boons and were clearly overjoyed at the king's generosity.

Once the room was silent, Alistair's eyes fell on Lanaya, who was standing in the front, smiling.

"Lanaya, Keeper of the Dalish elves, please step forward," said the king.

She did so and knelt as a sign of respect and all that were there smiled at her gesture.

"Rise, Lanaya. Let it be known that the Dalish will be given the land in the Kocari Wilds, the ruins of Ostagar included. There they shall settle and finally have a homeland to call their own."

Everyone applauded and cheered.

Lanaya inclined her head and smiled.

"Thank you Your Majesty. We gladly accept such a wonderful gift and hope this will mean that the relationship between us will finally start to improve."

"I hope that as well, Lanaya. With all my heart," said the king.

He next turned to Shianni, who had been invited by him to the coronation as well.

"Shianni. The elves of the alienage here in Denerim suffered greatly, before and during the Blight. I wish to declare the alienage a bann, so that you can have your own rules and be treated with the respect that you deserve. Would you like to become the voice of the elves during the Landsmeet?"

Shianni was stricken dumb for a few seconds. Then she finally remembered that Alistair was the king and moved to kneel before him, but Alistair stopped her.

"No, Shianni. I am the king, but also a man that wishes you to have a voice. What say you?" The kindness in his eyes and voice nearly made her weep.

"Your Majesties are kind. I would gladly accept this," she said clearly, as she gazed up at Alistair and Chantalle.

"From this moment forward then, you shall be Bann Shianni."

Fergus was the first to begin applauding, and was quickly followed by the rest of the nobles in the room.

Soon, the entire room was cheering.

...

Alistair turned to the three before him and glared at them.

"Gentlemen. You are in this room for the sole purpose of listening to what I am about to say," he said coldly.

Bann Loren, Cerolic and Tergus stood there literally quaking in their boots, their heads bowed.

"You three opposed me directly a year ago. I know how the nobles in Ferelden can strike on those they consider their enemies without warning or preamble. Therefore I have already put together a writ, which has been signed and sealed by the Grand Cleric herself, and my chief advisor, Teryn Cousland.

"If at any given time, the life of my wife, my child or my own, is met with an unfortunate accident, or - Maker forbid - death, you three will be held responsible, and your lands and titles shall be stripped from you. You will be put to death as well as all the living members of your family. I hope I have made myself clear?"

"But, Your Majesty! That would mean that we would have to go through extreme pains to keep you all safe and free from harm for the rest of our lives!" Bann Cerolic protested.

Alistair smiled at him. His smile was a lopsided, sarcastic one. One of his eyebrows shot up as he regarded the bann.

"Then I suggest that you strive to keep us safe even with your very lives."

The three banns swallowed. They nodded at his words.

"Good. Now that we seem to understand each other, please join the rest in the banquet room. We have some celebrating to do, don't we?

...

Fergus and Elissa smiled at each other.

"It seems you were correct dear brother," she said. "You are indeed the Chancellor now, his chief advisor. I guess I will be Teyrna after all."

"Temporary Teryna, my dear," Fergus smiled.

"I must admit that they are both charming. And I understand now why you are doing this. He is a very good man. He deserves our help and support," she added.

"I'm glad you see it this way, little sister," Fergus's smile widened.

A voice coming from behind Elissa made her turn. She found herself looking down at the dwarf.

"Hello, beautiful! Want some ale?" Duran winked.

Elissa burst out laughing and took his hand, allowing him to guide her to one of the tables.

Fergus smiled to himself when he saw them leave. He mingled with the rest of the people, watching as Chantalle and Alistair winked at him and disappeared through the door that led to the corridors of the inner rooms of the palace.

Ah, those two! Never a moment apart from each other, and always seeking a moment alone like a couple of star-crossed lovers.

He grinned.

They were just what Ferelden needed in his opinion.

...

**A/N: And on to the Epilogue and notes at the end...**


	43. Epilogue

Chapter 43 - Epilogue

Leliana and Anders eventually did get married and lived together. Truth be told, he lived far longer than any other of the wardens in the keep, but since he was appointed the Palace Mage, and no longer went back to the keep, nobody knew this. He was truly happy with his Lillylee and very much in love with her.

The infamous lady lover had finally settled down.

Duran never did find anyone to fall in love with. He was a free spirit, and as such remained happily by the new king and queen's side, helping them in every way he could. He was and continued to be Alistair's best friend, until his Calling drew near, at which point he set off for Orzammar, never to be seen again.

Fergus remained with Alistair as his Chief Advisor for many years, until he was satisfied that another could move in to help Alistair in his kingly duties. He searched for a replacement himself, finally settling on Teagan Guerrin, who had supported Alistair when he was crowned king. He then left and returned to Highever, where he eventually met a local girl and married. His sister, Elissa, lived happily in the castle and she married eventually and settled down there.

Alistair and Fergus continued to be very close friends, however and would frequently take trips to visit each other.

Leonie and Zevran were together for many years till Zevran eventually left for Antiva. He had a score of sorts to settle unfinished business with the Crows and even though Leonie begged him to stay he said he could not keep his 'friends' waiting and left.

He never returned.

Fiona remained at the palace, and even though she was always busy at some thing or another, she always made it a point to stay with her grandchildren who were such a great source of joy to her that over the years she mellowed up a bit. She and Alistair did eventually grow very close and the happiest day of her life was when he called her 'mother'.

She lived to a ripe old age and eventually died, a sad day for all who would never forget the little spitfire elven mage whose quick temper and heart of gold won the hearts of many.

Alistair did drink the potion which stopped the Taint from progressing. He lived to grow old by his love's side and to see his grandchildren born. He was a fair and capable monarch whose love for his people shone like a bright star from the heavens. He brought peace and prosperity to the land and ruled with grace and honor. He often slipped out of the palace to the tavern with his friend Duran and loved to visit the commoners from time to time, just to make sure that everything was all right.

They called him the king with the common touch.

He never left Chantalle's side, and she proved to be a beautiful and gracious queen who was popular and well loved. She bore him four more children and they were incredibly happy.

So they did live happily ever after...

As to their adventures and the adventures they shared with their friends as monarchs? Well, that my friends, is a totally different story...

THE END

**A/N: Another fic where I was touched to tears at the end. I know, I know...it's a very happy ending and I should be happy with it, but the characters did come to life for me and I will miss them terribly. **

**I wanted to end here, because this story is about Alistair as Warden Commander not as King, after all. **

**I hope that the reason I wrote this fic is clear to all. I was so angry at the game for doing the whole 'elves' thing. Second-class citizens, Alistair can't marry an elf, blah, blah, blah. Anyone who has read the Calling knows very well that Fiona is Alistair's mother. And even though The Calling is not 'canon' to me it is. **

**So yeah, I wanted to create a fic that took care of all those little issues that nagged me when I played the game. This fic was really cathartic for me. **

**I am already writing my next fic. I hope to see you around when I post it later today. **

**Thank you for following me through the incredible journey this has been. **

**And thank you Alistair for being my muse! :D **


End file.
